Stopping the Storm
by chibi heishi
Summary: Life as an Academy instructor isn't easy, with civilians afraid of you, parents complaining to you and students or friends pulling dangerous 'pranks'... Oh yes, and ANBU running around trying to find the traitors who intend to let in an enemy army. Fun.
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Yes, I'm on to another Naruto fic. This one will be more focussed on the cast than my last one, but... you'll see. And this is the prologue, so 'real' chapters will be longer.

Rated: T for language and non-graphic violence. Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize. Now, read and review please. Or just read. Enjoy.

* * *

The woman slipped silently through the streets, clinging to the shadows as she moved quickly toward her goal. Brown eyes behind a white mask briefly glanced toward the sky, noting with displeasure that dawn was swiftly decreasing her cover of darkness. The ANBU officer slowed her pace, every sense alert. She was _fairly_ sure that she had not been spotted, and she did not want her target to notice her now. Not when her intuition was screaming so strongly that this so-called trustworthy man was _enemy_.

Her target strolled casually along the street, pausing only to unlock the back door of an 'abandoned' store. He walked inside, to all appearances nothing more than a man out to check on his property. She knew better than to go inside after him, but she sidled up close to the building. She listened carefully, eyes narrowing as she memorized every nuance of the two low voices in the room.

The things the pair had discussed over the last few hours were more than enough to bring them in for questioning. And then she heard one of the voices speak more loudly. "Oh, and… get the girl."

**Later**

The woman stormed into the surgical prep room, blonde ponytails swinging and eyes blazing as she quickly donned sterile gear. Stepping into the room, she looked hurriedly at the medic-nin clustered around the patient, every one working feverishly to try and save the pale-faced ANBU on the operating table.

Six long hours later, they had to admit defeat. Between the poison eating away at her insides and the blood loss from so many injuries, the woman was unsalvageable. And as the now-exhausted Hokage stepped out of the room, another member of ANBU fell into step beside her. "Hokage-sama" the man murmured respectfully. Tsunade wearily gestured for him to continue. "Before she fell, she imparted a message. She said 'The storm is coming, and the dam will be opened by the wolves in sheep's clothing.' That was all."

Tsunade glared at the floor as they reached her office. "Damn." she sighed. _'Someone is going to come after Konoha'_ she thought, mentally translating the cryptic warning. _'And they'll be let in by traitors among us.'_ After a moment of thought, she gestured the ANBU over. "Alright, here's what we do…"

**Meanwhile**

The Konoha Shinobi Academy was still and silent, seemingly waiting with endless patience for its students to return. The empty halls cast shadows in the afternoon light, supporting the idea of a place in stasis. All was quiet, peaceful… all but one tanned Chunin instructor, sitting alone in his classroom. One hand came up, fingers pressing on the scar that ran across his nose. He sighed then, reluctantly putting pen to paper. Umino Iruka _hated_ this part.

A small sound caught his attention, and he turned a pained gaze towards the woman standing in the door of his classroom. The woman's brown eyes were dark with sorrow, and her voice was softer than usual as she spoke. "Anyone?"

It was barely a question, but Iruka answered it anyway. "Two. Another was close, but…"

"Close only counts with exploding tags, Umino-san."

The two Chunin looked at one another for a moment before Iruka broke the silence. "Do you want me to tell them?" He had to fight the urge to sigh in relief when the woman shook her head.

"No, I prepared them, it should come from me. No offence, Umino-san, but…"

"None taken; I understand." As the woman left, Iruka looked one more time at the papers spread in front of him.

Every year, Academy hopefuls took a pre-admission evaluation test after three weeks of very basic training. Every year, the children were judged according to strength, speed, endurance and intelligence. And every year, the rules forced out most of the young would-be kunoichi for scoring too low.

Sad brown eyes passed over the photographs of seven little girls, each bright eyed and eager. And he knew that five of them would be told that they would never be allowed to even reach for their dream. Finally standing, Iruka left the Academy with a heavy heart.

It would be another two weeks before the start of the next school year, when footsteps and laughter would bring life back to the quiet halls.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay, I lied. This is another short chapter. Looks like the first few probably will be short while I set things up. Thank you to both of my reviewers:

**elvesdragon** - it's good to know that you like my little stories. Thank you yet again.

And **RandomReviewer** - wow. Thank you - I liked the start of it too. The majority of this probably won't be quite so... whatever that was, but hopefully there will be parts that turn out that well. I am taking your advice on the paragraph thing - that kind of criticism is exactly what I need. Feel free to ramble away - I don't mind if you tell me I'm awful as long as you tell me why. And no, this isn't going to be KakaIru. I'll read the pairing if it's part of a good story, but I doubt you'll ever see me write them as anything but friends. Anyway, I hope I can continue to live up to your good impression.

Rated: T for language and non-graphic violence. Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize. Now, read and review please. Or just read. Enjoy.

* * *

Returning from dropping a feverish child off with the Academy nurse, Iruka stopped dead in his tracks. He imagined he must look pretty stupid, standing in the middle of an empty hall, but… Brown eyes carefully searched the faint chakra threads running over the door. _'Intact,'_ he thought warily. _'So no one has opened the door or windows. Still… it's much too quiet in there. I wonder what they've got for me this time?'_Because after two months, his oh-so-innocent students had just enough training to start thinking that they could 'get' their teacher. Thus began the series of traps and pranks that would plague said teacher until the class graduated. After which, of course, the next class he was assigned to would begin the cycle anew.

Still eyeing the door with the utmost suspicion, Iruka nonetheless took a deep breath and reached for the handle. The moment he pulled it open, motion at the edge of his vision sent the Chunin diving into an evasive roll, only to spring to his left as soon as he came up. As the paper wheels and spitballs hit harmlessly against the walls, Iruka put his hands firmly on his hips and gave a _look_ to the suddenly meek children. "Alright" he demanded, glancing at the very basic projectile traps he had triggered by opening the door. "Who rigged this? Come on, fess up." Naturally, no one said a word.

Iruka shook his head with a sigh and pointed to three boys and one girl. "Daichi-kun, Takeshi-kun, Yori-kun, Jun-chan, you each owe me ten lines of 'I will not set traps that throw things at Sensei'." The four named children promptly began to protest, but Iruka held up one hand. "I know you did it, and since you denied it you each can write twenty lines of 'I will not lie to Sensei'. No buts." Once the four's spluttering died down, a moment of silence reigned. Iruka simply stood, calmly waiting to see if any of his students would ask the proper question.

Hesitantly, the other girl in the class raised her hand. "Yes, Usagi-chan?"

The six year old fumbled her words slightly, but she asked the question he had hoped one of them would think of. "Um, Sensei… how did you know that they did it?"

His entire body language shifted as Iruka beamed at the child. "A ninja must always be aware of his – or her – surroundings, Usagi-chan." he informed her, fighting the urge to chuckle as the other children leaned forward to hear his explanation. "You see," he continued, pointing as needed, "Daichi-kun and Takeshi-kun's fingers are wet. The two of them are responsible for the spitballs. Yori-kun has bits of paper on the ground around his desk that wasn't there when I left the room, so he had to have given the other two the paper. And Jun-chan has pieces of paper torn out of her notebook, but no paper bits on the ground – she folded the paper wheels."

Turning back to the blackboard, Iruka allowed a smug little grin to escape for a moment as his students whispered in awe behind him. There was more than one way to teach a lesson in observation.

-

'_Damn,'_ the man thought, eyeing the door of his newly re-opened shop – or more specifically, the man who had just walked out of it – with irritation. _'Ever since that ANBU girl got away, he's been absolutely paranoid.'_ He sighed. _'Well, hell, at least the other one isn't fazed. Of course, __**that**__ one creeps me out sometimes, worse than most ninjas. No one like –'_ His train of thought was abruptly interrupted as he felt something tap the back of his neck.

He jerked away, clapped a hand to his nape, and glared as the youngest of the three partners laughed lightly. "You should pay more attention – if I was a snake I would've bit you." the other teased, eyes shining with mischief.

He grunted, but removed his hand, still glaring slightly at the one that he had been promised would recruit all the help that they would need to leave Konoha wide open to attack. "Well, how do you like Konoha?"

The Recruiter flashed him a mega-watt grin and, just for an instant, those bright eyes turned… strange. That look somehow held both a feverish brightness and the sharp, cold edge of a sociopath. He suppressed a shiver as the Recruiter spoke. "Oh, it's great! I've already made a few new friends."

-

Iruka stopped. He stared. He blinked a few times. And stared some more. Closed his eyes for a moment – and nearly jumped out of his skin when he opened them again and found that the ANBU officer who _had _been leaning against his apartment window six feet away was now about six inches away from him. He had never heard the man move. Iruka blinked stupidly a few more times in confusion before he finally recovered enough wits to speak. "Can I help you, ANBU-san?"

He would never know for sure, but he could have sworn that the dark eyes behind that white mask were laughing at him. The man's voice, however, was nothing short of coolly professional. "Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you." And just like that, the man was gone.

Iruka stood still for another few seconds before he mused quietly to himself. "Oo-kaay… and it requires ANBU to inform me of that?"

-

The blonde woman stared at her linked fingers as if they could absolve her from the unpleasant duty ahead of her. Her brown eyes were serious and no little bit irritated. _'Being the Hokage is rarely worth the headaches that come with it,' _she thought cynically._ 'But I'll be __**damned**__ if I'll screw the job up. Even if that blond brat __**did**__ sucker me into it.'_ A light knock on her door drew her attention away from her hapless hands. After a called permission, a scarred Chunin walked into her office, confusion and curiosity warring in his eyes.

Tsunade blocked the irritation out of her eyes and carefully studied her guest as he obeyed her gesture to pull up a chair across the desk. _'Umino, Iruka. He doesn't look like much'_ she mused. _'But, he __**was**__ the first to accept Naruto despite the Kyuubi, even though he has as much reason to hate the fox as any other villager. And Sensei did trust him to oversee the evacuation during the war. So, maybe there's more to the little teacher than there seems…'_

The man in front of her sat attentively, leaning forward slightly with his hands clasped and resting on his knees, but there was no nervousness in his posture. His shoulders and spine were relaxed, but without the disrespectful unconcern that some Jounin – a specific Copy Ninja came immediately to mind – slouched with. All in all, he almost seemed… comfortable, in her office. She met his eyes only to see that, while the curiosity was still there, the confusion had been replaced by a mild amusement. Taking her gaze as permission to speak, the Chunin broke the silence, his mild voice respectful. "You called for me, Hokage-sama?"

She briefly tapped a seal on her desk, activating the jutsu that would ensure that no sound escaped the office. And then she leaned forward slightly, eyes firmly on the Chunin as she spoke. "Umino-san, this does not go beyond this room, but there is a matter that I believe you need to be aware of." Instantly that relaxed appearance vanished, the Chunin suddenly less Academy teacher and more Konoha shinobi. Tsunade nodded almost imperceptibly in approval before continuing. "Two months ago, an ANBU agent reported the presence of one – or possibly more than one – traitor within our city."

The Chunin's jaw clenched lightly, his dark eyes flashing at the statement. A traitor was the worst kind of enemy – and the kind that most angered any Konoha shinobi. "It is believed that this traitor intends to somehow provide an enemy with entrance to Konoha. Unfortunately, our agent passed away before being able to impart any specifics regarding the matter. And despite ongoing investigation, no further information has come to light. In other words, Umino-san, that threat is still at large."

The anger she expected, the careful thought did not surprise her. The Chunin's words, however, were another story. "There are one or two individuals that I've been keeping an eye on, but… I don't think either of them are anywhere near the point of being ready to act out, much less actually betray Ko-"

"Umino, what the hell are you talking about?" Tsunade interrupted, somewhat confused and not at all happy about it.

The Chunin blinked in surprise. "Um, I was trying to see if any of the people I'm aware of could be involved. I thought that that was why you called me. Considering my last mission, I assumed…" The man trailed off, looking at his leader in confusion before flushing slightly and murmuring "A-s-s-u-m-e makes an ass out of you and me."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Explain, Umino. Now. _What_ last mission, and how is it relevant to this situation?"

The man dropped his eyes, suddenly finding his feet to be fascinating. His blush intensified as he spoke. "Well, it's just… I'm Iruka-sensei, Hokage-sama. I'm… a teacher of children, a desk worker. I've been those things for so long, most people don't think of me as a shinobi. Most of my comrades would laugh if anyone suggested sending me on any kind of mission. And because of that – because they think of me as harmless – a lot of people talk around me as if I were a civilian. They say things that they normally wouldn't say around a shinobi, because to them, I'm not. I'm just… Iruka."

He fidgeted a little under the Hokage's intense focus, but the Chunin took a deep breath and continued. "A few years back, I commented on that to Sandaime-sama – and he decided to use that. He um, he had me work with Morino-san on improving my ability to read people, and my last mission was to just… pay attention, keep my eyes open. It was hoped that I would be able to report potential problems before they became actual problems. And when I never received cancellation orders…" The Chunin shrugged almost helplessly.

By now Tsunade was fighting not to stare – and remembering a number of times when she saw someone in town apparently griping to Iruka, only to stop when they caught sight of another shinobi. After a small eternity of silence, the Hokage finally spoke again. "Actually, I had intended to inform you of the situation so you would be prepared in case something happens and we need to evacuate during school hours. But I want a report on those two people you mentioned by morning." And Iruka accepted that statement as the dismissal it was.

After he left, Tsunade pulled the cord that called her assistant into the room. "Shizune, get me the latest mission files on Umino." She wanted to see exactly what the man meant – and whether the 'mission' had had any success thus far.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Okay, two things. First, I'm sorry this took so long. Life kind of went crazy on me. Secondly, before anyone goes ballistic - THERE IS NO ROMANCE IN THIS FIC! So don't go nuts when our teacher interacts with my OC. I promise, she's not very important. She's just a parent. Anyway, read and review please. And I don't own anything that you've seen drawn or animated.

**elvesdragon -** thank you for reading, and especially for reviewing.

**Veve **- Glad you found this, and even more glad you like it.

**RandomReviewer **- I don't mind rambling at all. Glad you liked the beginning and the meeting. Sorry the 'bad guys' confused you, I rewrote it so many times I couldn't tell if I was being too vague. As for Naruto - I'm actually not sure what I'm going to do with him yet. And, well, I'm afraid my chapters do tend to be short. Hope you like this one anyway.

* * *

He waited, his body relaxed and his breathing slow but deep. Sharp eyes carefully scanned the streets below his chosen vantage point. Voices raised in the afternoon air, blending into a babble of sound and motion as the market went about its business. But the ANBU captain tuned out the crowd, ears listening for one specific sound. _'And there it is'_ he thought, focusing on the feint birdcall whistling through the streets. It wasn't an unusual sound, in fact, if one wasn't listening for that exact tone and pattern, even their own shinobi wouldn't notice anything out of place. But it was a signal nonetheless.

Codename Dog shifted his weight, body now ready to move in any direction on an instant's notice. He searched closely in the direction that the signal had come from, and his patience was rewarded as his target came into view. A small, cold smile formed behind the white mask as Dog silently trailed after his prey. Out of the market, down a few streets, and a final turn into a sector of Konoha still undergoing repairs from the war with Sand, and still the target failed to notice his pursuers. _'Nine days of observation, and the meeting is finally taking place' _he reminded himself. _'Alright, Numajiri. Let's see what you're hiding.'_

The target didn't _look_ very suspicious, his short black hair neatly brushed and his brown eyes warm, if a little nervous. But the very fact that he was here in his khaki pants and his polo shirt, dressy shoes shining amidst the dust and trash in the street, was unusual enough. The man, probably in his mid twenties, stopped in front of the shell of what had once been an apartment complex, careful not to lean against it lest the soot still covering the walls rub off onto his nice clothes.

Another soft birdcall sounded – _**The other comes. Do we move?**_– and Dog replied in kind. _**No. We wait.**_ Mere heartbeats later, the other he had been warned of came around a corner and into sight. Rough, tanned skin, short black beard, Jounin vest… _'Asuma-san? That's… unexpected.'_ Dog's team waited, every muscle still and every breath controlled as they waited for the pair to give some indication of the purpose behind such a secretive meeting. They didn't have to wait long.

"Honestly, Gombei-kun" the Jounin instructor teased. "Look at you, you look like you're picking up contraband or something. Making me come all the way out here…" The older man shook his head, sighing theatrically as he held out a small object in one hand. "Next time, meet me across the street if you don't want your wife to hear you went in the store."

Dog leaned closer, paying careful attention as the Jounin handed over – _'Cigars?! All this fuss over a pack of damned CIGARS?!'_ One last, despairing thought ran through the ANBU captain's mind as the two below said their farewells. _'Cat will NEVER let me live this down.'_

-

The woman paused, hesitating on her doorstop and smiling softly. With her eyes lightly closed, Kazumi soaked in the warmth of the afternoon light while children's laughter rang out from the streets. The day's shopping was done, her daughter was playing with friends, and her son was finally getting over his fever. After opening both her eyes and her door, the scuff of footsteps behind her caught her attention.

Kazumi turned, and then bit her lip upon seeing a shinobi standing at her door. She hesitated nervously, and then quickly bowed to her guest. "Shinobi-san, may I ask what brings you to my home?" The young man smiled, causing the long scar across his nose to scrunch up at the edges. "You may." That smile faded as Kazumi's eyes widened in surprise.

The young man cleared his throat and clasped one hand to the back of his neck, seeming almost as uncomfortable as Kazumi herself. "Ah, my apologies, Hasegawa-san. Please allow me to start over. My name is Umino, Iruka and I am your son's instructor at the Shinobi Academy." The Chunin offered a stack of papers with a small, rueful smile. "I know that Aki-kun was out sick today, and we have an exam on Monday, so I brought a copy of today's notes and the study guide I gave out in class."

A tentative smile answered his as she took the papers. Kazumi was still adjusting to the idea of her little boy becoming a shinobi someday, much less having full fledged Chunin showing up at her door. The shinobi – no, Umino-sensei, she reminded herself – gave her another surprise when he spoke. "So, is Aya-chan doing well? I know she must have been upset that Aki-kun was accepted when she wasn't."

Kazumi blinked. She was surprised enough that the man would come by for Aki – it absolutely shocked her that he remembered that both twins had taken the entrance exam. "She's doing well" she replied. "She was disappointed, of course, but she's still playing with some of the other girls from the trials. She's made new friends, and she isn't pouting when Aki talks about class anymore."

Suddenly, a high pitched shriek jolted through the house.

-

Iruka slipped past the woman in the doorway and raced down the hall, every instinct he had developed in either training or teaching pushing him towards the source of that horrified cry. A small part of his mind was vaguely surprised that the civilian woman was hot on his heels. Cutting around a corner, he threw open a door, fully expecting to find something horrible waiting for him.

Four of the five little girls in the room screamed when the door burst open, shock and fear on their faces. The fifth and oldest of them jumped to her feet, hands held out in front of her as she tried to explain. "It's okay, it's okay. Everyone calm down."

The Chunin's eyes swept quickly across the room, taking in the three little girls – _'five, maybe six years old' _he registered – on the bed, the one child sprawled on the floor, and the girl standing between the two adults and the four little ones. The girl looked about ten or eleven years old, her brown hair pulled back in a braid and her blue eyes wide.

Seeing nothing obviously wrong, he relaxed, smiling for them as he nodded for the older girl to explain. She did so quickly, plainly afraid of him. "I was teaching the girls a game, and Seina-chan got a little over-excited when she got it right. She was bouncing and fell off the bed, and that's why she screamed. That's all, we're okay, I promise." The little one on the floor nodded shyly, sitting up but ducking her chin to hide behind her black curls as she agreed with the older girl.

Iruka completely relaxed then, a mild blush creeping over his face at his own over-reaction. The woman behind him sighed, but gave him an exasperated smile as she stepped around him to face the girls. "Seina-chan, are you okay?" The girl nodded. "Okay, that's good. Girls, remember what I told you?"

The older girl ducked her head this time as she spoke up. "Aki-kun is sick, so we have to keep it down if we're going to play inside. I'm sorry Hasegawa-san, it's my fault. I should have stopped before they got too excited."

The woman sighed again, but reached out to ruffle the girl's hair. "It's okay, Ishi-chan. Just… take it outside, okay?" Both adults stood back to let the girls pass as the brunette gathered the four younger ones up and ushered them outside.

Iruka took a breath to apologize for his actions, but the woman spoke before he could begin. "Thank you, Umino-san."

He blinked in surprise. "For what, Hasegawa-san? I didn't do anything."

She giggled, shaking her head as she denied his words. "No, you rushed in. You thought my little girl was in trouble, and you meant to save her. Thank you for that, even if the girls didn't need it. Ishiko-chan has been a great babysitter, but she's still only a child. If there had really been something wrong, I don't think she would have handled it well."

Iruka could _feel_ his blush intensify under the woman's praise, and not for the first time, he mentally cursed his inability to control the red tint. But he smiled back, relieved that the woman seemed a little more comfortable with his presence. Making his way back through the house and out the door, Iruka turned to the woman one last time. "It's been nice meeting you, Hasegawa-san."

She gave him one last smile as she answered. "It was nice meeting you, Umino-sensei. And my name is Kazumi." As she closed the door, Iruka chuckled slightly over the way his day had been. Walking back towards the street, he paused for a moment to watch the girls playing in the yard. The four little girls were sitting in pairs, playing a rather complicated series of clapping their hands together, on their thighs and with each other.

As he turned away, he vaguely noticed Ishiko correct one of the other girls. He walked away with the girl's high voices ringing in his ears as they laughingly chanted. "_Su_zu-me, _su_zu-me, mi-er-u."

-

The group assembled the same way that they arrived – silently. They gathered together before their leader, each squad taking their places behind their captains. No one particularly wanted to report; they all knew that if the entire squad was present, then there was nothing positive to report.

ANBU had been searching for any hint – anything at all – that would further the investigation. Every shinobi present was nearly hair-triggered with tension, some even being forced off of the investigation temporarily because they had reacted too quickly and had nearly – or actually – injured a comrade. But there was nothing. Not one person had any information, not one lead had panned out. The entire ANBU organization had run headfirst into a brick wall. A dead end that no one seemed to be able to find a way around.

And their assumptions were correct. One by one, the squad captains moved to stand before the Hokage, each giving the same report. No progress, nothing to report. And last squad captain stepped up. Dog took a subtle breath, giving his report. And as he stepped down, he caught a slight motion from the corner of his eye. Cat had turned to meet his gaze, and there was an almost malicious gleam in her eyes. _'No,' _he thought._ 'I will never live this down.'_

-

Senzo shook his head, chuckling even as he gathered the empty glasses. The bartender had seen a lot of different types of people, from withdrawn to violent to happy-go-lucky to downright insane – and sometimes two or more at once, this _was_ a Hidden Village, after all – but none quite like the young man currently amusing his patrons. The kid, nineteen years old according to his ID, seemed like a ray of sunshine in the bar.

Eri-kun barely drank, seeming instead to come merely to try and cheer the other patrons. As usual, the affable blond was surrounded by people, everyone laughing and talking animatedly. It was a welcome change from the usual tension in the bar.

Senzo glanced over, watching as the young man slung his arm around the shoulders of a man a few years older. The boy grinned, green eyes nearly sparkling as he leaned closer and whispered something that made the man start, and then laugh along with the boy.

* * *

**A/N 2: **Before I forget - the girl's little game. According to my dictionary, Suzume sparrow and Mieru (to) be seen. So basically it's "Sparrow, sparrow, be seen." If anyone more fluent in Japanese knows better, let me know and I'll fix it.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Gah! Everyone, I am SO SORRY this took so long to update! But I have an excuse - I just bought my first house (-squeals excitedly-) and I've been painting and moving in. And I won't have internet until tomorrow - I'm actually posting this from a relative's house. But it's up now. A little rushed, but up. And I promise it won't take so long for the next one. Anyway, I still don't own Naruto and all that other legal stuff.

And thanks again to my faithful reviewers **elvesdragon** and **WhyMustIWrite**, as well as welcome and thank you to my new one **beyondthecrystalsea**.

* * *

The Recruiter lightly rested a cheek against the arm of the oldest of the three partners. "He doesn't like me" came the quiet statement.

The eldest glanced down at the youngest. "Who, the shopkeeper?" A slow nod was his answer. "So? I'm learning Konoha's streets quickly, and you're learning the people, so it's not like we'll need him for much longer. Before long, we'll be fine on our own."

Bright eyes glanced up at the man, a mischievous little smile flitting at the edges of the younger's lips. "Once we are, may I kill him? I want to do it myself. I know I won't be much use in the main battle, so may I please kill him at least?"

The man laughed, reaching out to pat the other's shoulder. "Of course. I know you don't like him. And with all the work you're putting in, you really should get to kill at least one of these damn Konohans." The honest happiness in the younger shinobi's face at that statement made him grin.

The Recruiter pushed off of his shoulder and nearly bounced out of the room, humming cheerfully all the while. _'Such a good comrade'_ he thought affectionately. _'I may have to find a shinobi or two for that one to kill. The kid is definitely earning it.'_

-

The man sighed, one scarred hand coming up to cradle an equally scarred face as grey eyes closed momentarily. After that moment, Shigeru forced his eyes open and back onto the pages in front of him. The ANBU division leader glanced one more time at the reports that the three squad captains under him had submitted – again, nothing worth reporting on the case that was at the front of all their thoughts – and put them aside, making himself pick up the first of the two reports that he really didn't want to read.

Beyond the first page of the neat, bulleted script common to ANBU lay eight pages of swift, sloppy writing. _'Medics'_ he thought with a familiar exhaustion. _'Do they take a course in bad handwriting? I thought all reports had to be legible…'_ But he shook off the irrelevant tangent, focusing instead on the contents of the writing.

'_A broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, three cracked ribs and one abdominal wound. Overall… not too bad. Heron will be out of commission for a few weeks, and she'll have a new scar, but…considering the circumstances…'_ After memorizing the first file, he put it away, turning with reluctance to the last file.

Opening the folder, he found smooth cursive writing that looked innocently neat. Until he began to read. _'Psychological analysis: subject, ANBU operative Mouse. Patient admitted for initial psych evaluation due to increasing paranoia culminating in an unprovoked assault against a fellow ANBU operative…'_

-

Iruka clenched his jaw, one hand coming up the cover his eyes in a habitual gesture that any of his former students would have recognized and heeded. His current students, unfortunately, had not yet known him long enough to be properly afraid of their sensei's temper. So when Iruka exploded, a shocked silence instantly fell over the entire training ground. "THAT'S _ENOUGH_!"

All movement stilled, all eyes turned towards the teacher as he strode with terrifyingly smooth steps towards the troublemakers who had set him off. The small knot of boys gathered around the pair melted away as Iruka approached, and though he did not stop, he sent the group a _Look_ that assured them all that they had been noted and would not escape punishment.

The two boys that he stopped over were frozen in place, one of the young fighters in mid-punch as they both stared at their usually easy-going teacher. He glared at them both. "This is a _training exercise_." he nearly snarled. "You are supposed to be doing the drills I showed you. _Not __**fighting**_!" One of the pair opened his mouth, but Iruka cut him off. "Eiji-_kun,_" he bit out. "I _will_ be speaking to your parents about this." The Inuzuka boy turned pale and whimpered.

Iruka turned his attention to the other little fighter. "Takeshi-kun, _how_ many times have I told you to watch your temper? We have been through this before, you two. You are both going to be Konoha shinobi – hopefully – and Konoha shinobi must have control of themselves before they can hope to control the outcomes of their missions. They _especially_ can NOT fight each other! You each owe me one hundred lines of "I will not fight my teammates" before you leave, you will be staying after school _every __**day**_ for the next week to clean the bathrooms, and your parents _will_ be called in for a conference."

He turned then to the children who had been encouraging the little fight. "You each owe me forty lines of "I will not egg on fights in my class" due in the morning. Now" and he turned his attention to the rest of the class. "Class dismissed." A slow movement behind him had him turning to glare again at Takeshi. "Except for you two. You owe me lines."

As the rest of the class took the chance to dart away, Iruka marched the fighters back to his classroom, fully prepared to spend the rest of the night watching two six-year-olds write lines if necessary.

-

She made vaguely affirmative sounds, nodding once in a while but not really paying any attention to her companion as the other chattered. Until one particular sentence caught her ear. Her eyes widened, and she leaned towards the other to ask in an almost breathless voice. "Really? You mean it?"

Her companion nodded, eyes serious and voice just as low. "Oh, yes." the other murmured. "We can show them all. Come with me, there are some others that I think you should meet."

For a brief moment, she felt a twinge of guilt, but then she reminded herself that she didn't care about the people who clearly didn't care about her. She shrugged off the unease, and the pair slipped off unnoticed through the busy streets of Konoha.

-

Chisa read the paper carefully, and then read it again just to make sure that she had gotten it right the first time. She very calmly folded the note, set it gently on the kitchen table, and walked out of the room. The Inuzuka woman ran a hand lightly along the fur of her nin-dog as she passed him, nodded to her cousin… and shouted at the top of her lungs. "EIJI! AOMARU! GET YOUR TAILS DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!"

Two yelps, a few crashes and many hurried footsteps later, a small boy and an even smaller puppy tumbled down the stairs. "Yes, ma'am?" the boy asked hesitantly.

Chisa folded her arms across her chest and stared down at the pair, ignoring the snickers from her cousin in the doorway. "Would you like to explain why, exactly, your Academy teacher feels the need to call me to a parent-teacher meeting?" When the boy hesitated, her eyes narrowed. "Eiji, what. Did. You. DO?"

The child ducked his head and mumbled, but the Inuzuka clan's nose wasn't the only finely tuned sense they had. Chisa closed her eyes, silently counted to ten, and opened her eyes again to pin her son with a very calculating look. "Fighting… with Takeshi-kun? Again?"

The boy just nodded. A moment of silence, punctuated only by the drumming of Chisa's fingers against her arm, and then she dealt out the boy's punishment. "You're grounded. I don't care who threw the first punch, I _know_ you two pick at each other. So you're grounded for a week. No going anywhere but school, no TV, no phone calls, nothing. And Aomaru stays with your uncle until you're ungrounded."

Eiji had been hanging his head, nodding glumly throughout the little speech, but when Chisa said that last line, the boy gasped and jerked his eyes up to his mother's. Even the puppy yelped. "But, mom…!"

"No buts, Eiji. I told you the last time that this happened – if you can't watch yourself, how can you expect to watch a puppy? After the week is over, we'll go get Aomaru. But I'm starting to think that you don't understand what a big responsibility a nin-dog is. Now, go bring Aomaru over to your uncle. Be sure you tell him exactly what is going on, and then come straight back here."

The boy went, but he dragged his feet and walked slowly out of the door, tears filling his eyes as he scooped his puppy up into his arms. The two women waited until the boy was out of earshot, and then the cousin looked over at Chisa. "I understand that you have to punish him – mom's had to ground Kiba often enough – but isn't sending Aomaru away, even for just a week, is a little harsh?" Hana waited, a little confused but knowing that her older cousin must have a good reason for such cruelty.

Chisa nodded, explaining her reasoning. "It is harsh, but you have to understand… Most of what Kiba got in trouble for was cutting class or pulling fairly harmless pranks, right?" Chisa waited until the younger woman agreed before she continued. "Well, Eiji is getting in trouble for fighting. Aomaru hasn't been involved yet, but if he is… If Aomaru bites one of the children – especially one of the little ones like Eiji's classmates – the other parents could very well protest. If enough of them got together, they could even petition the Academy to ban the dogs. They wouldn't keep them off of the training grounds because they know that our dogs are as much one of our weapons as our kunai, but they could get them kept out of the classrooms."

By the end of the explanation, Hana was nodding thoughtfully, running a hand distractedly through her own dogs' fur as she thought about the possible consequences of separating a nin-dog and its' handler for such long stretches of time five days a week. "You're right." the veterinarian finally conceded. "Better to separate them for a little while than get all of the dogs banned permanently."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N:** *collapses* Wow. Monster chapter... Seriously guys, sorry this is late, but it fought me pretty hard. The only characters who would behave were Iruka and, surprisingly, Ibiki. Everyone else... *shakes head* I'm not sure that Tsunade is coming across as, well, Hokage-ish. And I'm not even going to start on the kids. Honestly, this chapter is awful - I hate most of it. But the next chapter is one of my two favorite sections in the whole fic, so hopefully it'll turn out better than this one did. Though you can't kill me at the end of this one, even if you want to.

Anyway, thanks yet again to my faithful reviewer, **WhyMustIWrite**. And thank you and welcome to my new reviewers: **I am a Fun-nin **and **InARealPickle**.

Disclaimer: These Naruto people. Me no own.

Notes: _/ This /_ means something was written.

* * *

Shizune glanced at the stack of 'finished' paperwork Tsunade handed her, quickly realizing that almost half of it would need to be rewritten, at best. She eyed the sloppy handwriting, noting the water – or sake – stains on the margins of many of the pages. She suppressed a sigh, brushing her short black hair out of her face as a familiar thought crossed her mind. _'I swear she does this to me on purpose. I __**know**__ she can write beautifully. Sometimes. __**If**__ it suits her. Though' _the assistant's irritated mental ranting was cut short by a sharp, brisk knock on the Hokage's office door.

Shizune set the paperwork down, stepping over to look through the peephole in the doors. Though, if it had been anyone hostile then they would have had to have already cut through the ANBU officers stationed near the Hokage at all times, so the door wouldn't likely stop them. But still… "It's Morino-san, Tsunade-sama. And he's got a box with him." A quick glance over her shoulder showed the Godaime's arched eyebrow and curious gesture, so Shizune opened the door for the grim Torture and Interrogations leader.

As the scarred man stepped past her, box safely tucked under one arm, Shizune glanced again at the Hokage, silently asking if she needed to leave. Without even turning, Ibiki spoke. "This isn't confidential. At least, not this part of it."

...Damn the man, now she wanted to know. A nearly pleading glance was given to her Hokage, and a brief gesture from the blonde had both Shizune shutting the door and Ibiki settling lightly on a chair, mysterious box set casually on the floor. Said box looked like nothing special, just a plain brown cardboard box about the size of a milk crate. But Shizune had no time to think about the box, stepping off to the side of the room in order to be as unobtrusive as possible to the pair currently facing one another with disturbingly similar expressions of calmness. The expression of one who is powerful, competent, and needs no one else to say so. Leaders, each in their own right, though the man had shown no hesitation in bowing to his Hokage.

"Well?" the Hokage questioned. "It isn't like you to waste my time, Ibiki-san."

The man inclined his head slightly, acknowledging the truth of the statement. Though his reply somewhat confused Shizune. "You have been looking at the file on Umino, correct? Seeking the circumstances leading to, and the results of his latest mission orders?" A brief pause, answered by an even briefer nod from the blonde. Ibiki's next words were blunt, and no little bit shocking. "You will find nothing."

-

The man stood proudly, an almost smug expression on his face. His brown eyes shone with an excitement more suited to a child than to a man in his early thirties, and he kept glancing down at the small, brightly wrapped package sitting on the table. Beside him, his wife also kept glancing at the package, though her green eyes showed more anxiety than excitement. "Are you _sure_ this is a good idea, Tomi? He's so young, and he just got in trouble a few days ago. You heard what that sensei said, he –"

"He has the potential to be a very good shinobi" Tomi interrupted. "Umino-sensei said that our boy was smart, and that he was picking up the basics more quickly than many of his classmates. Who, by the way, are mostly from shinobi families. We want to do everything we can to help him, don't we?"

The question was almost challenging, and the woman sighed as she answered it. "Yes, but… he was fighting…"

Tomi shook his head. "He already said he was sorry, and he passed a big mark yesterday. He started learning how to throw those, um, those knife things. His teacher said that he did very well, that he has a knack for it. The boy deserves a reward for doing so well, right?" Again, the question was more of a statement, almost daring his wife to contradict him. But she didn't, and both of them were distracted as a blond haired little boy rushed into the kitchen.

"Morning mom, dad." the boy chirped, snatching up some bread and dropping it in the toaster.

"Takeshi, son, come here. We have a surprise for you."

Those words dragged the six year old's attention away from willing the toaster to heat faster, and the boy darted over to his parents. "A surprise? For me? What is it? Can I have it now? When did" "Whoa, whoa there." Tomi laughed, handing the little boy the package. Glancing up once for permission, Takeshi quickly opened the little package. His eyes widened, jaw dropping open as he stared in astonishment. And then the boy practically squealed, a brilliant smile overtaking his face as he tried to throw his arms around both of his parents at once. "Thank you, thank you thankyou_thankyou_." the child jabbered. "Oh, this is so cool! Can I show this to the guys at school? Huh? Can I dad? Man, Daichi-kun'll be so jealous. This is SO cool!"

Tomi just laughed at his son's enthusiasm, agreeing to the request and reaching out to ruffle the boy's hair as they picked up his backpack for the walk to school. Both males were so excited, they even left without their breakfasts.

As they left, Sachiko spoke quietly, watching the two most important people in her life disappear from sight. "The shop lady called those 'knife things' kunai. And, maybe he does deserve a reward, but… I still don't know if giving him kunai was a good idea. Tomi… I wish you had let me talk to his teacher about it first…"

-

Cat closed her eyes, silently going through one of the relaxation techniques that all ANBU operatives were required to learn. Especially now, while tension among the squads ran so high. Slowly exhaling, she allowed her eyes to slip open and focus again on the crowd around her. She knew that she would have to leave soon – no agent was supposed to spend more than eight hours working the case unless they had a potential lead, and her squad had been working for seven – but she also knew that even if she went home, the walk back would be spent covertly searching faces, analyzing words and tone and body language. Searching for just the slightest hint, just the tiniest touch of something out of place.

It was just… it wasn't _right_. ANBU had been searching for so long, looking so hard, and all for nothing. This case, these traitors, it had driven the entire organization to the point where even the best of them were becoming unacceptably paranoid. They were becoming so driven, so consumed by the job that they were losing objectivity. Her lips twitched, a smile trying to be born as that idea brought up some of the more ridiculous 'leads' that the group had become desperate enough follow. Like Dog's cigar smugglers…

Of course, the tension had also driven some of them out of the field. It was making them paranoid, hair triggered. Some were handling it fairly well, but some… Poor Mouse would probably never be considered stable enough for field work again. _'I wonder'_ she mused silently, glancing at some of her squad. _'Could that be the point? To start a rumor and then leave, waiting until we run ourselves into the ground, become so confused that we no longer know what is a real threat and what is just… cigar smuggling? Until we doubt ourselves so much that we miss the real leads?'_

A shiver ran up her spine, and Cat forced her attention back onto the crowd. After all, she had a job to do. But she noted the idea in the back of her mind, and decided to mention the possibility to her division leader when she turned in her squad's report.

-

The two women in the room stared at the man, one in open shock and one with an unreadable expression. And then the Hokage raised one eyebrow. "Pardon?" she prompted.

Ibiki repeated his last statement, his voice very matter-of-fact. "You will find nothing. The information you are seeking is not in Umino's service file, Hokage-sama." He referred, of course, to the public file kept on most shinobi. The one that held the mission reports, status notes and other information that was easily accessible to any shinobi.

Tsunade settled back into her chair, lacing her fingers together as she observed the man in front of her. "The service record is all he has. There are no sealed records regarding Umino."

"Not directly, no."

"Explain."

By now Shizune was staying very still, her brown eyes flicking silently from one speaker to the other.

Ibiki paused, seeming to gather his thoughts before he spoke. "Umino has nothing distinctive about him, correct?"

Tsunade nodded once. "That's right. He has no powerful chakra, no particularly impressive jutsu, and no genius talent. His basic skills are well practiced – almost textbook-perfect execution – but the man will never be Jounin level. And as for his mission files… there were a few odd occurrences early on, but nothing particularly noteworthy."

Ibiki nodded, seeming to expect the answer. He probably did, as he did not hesitate with his next comment. "Exactly. And that is all that most people ever realize. I am not too proud to admit that it took me some time to see what the Sandaime saw in this… unimpressive little sensei. And I still do not understand it. If you wish to try…" The scarred man gestured to the box on the floor, waiting for the Hokage's nod before picking it up, setting it on the desk and continuing.

"Hokage-sama, Umino is not unusual for what happens around him." A slight pause as the man made certain his leader was looking him in the eye. "He is extraordinary for what does not. I have taken the liberty of flagging a few of these files as an example of what to look for in regards to Umino's 'mission'. If you need more, I have members of the clerical staff gathering the file numbers of the reports relevant to your search. They will not be flagged, however. I am afraid that my staff simply does not have the time necessary."

Sensing that the man had finished what he had come to say, Tsunade politely thanked and then dismissed him. Ibiki hesitated in the doorway, glancing back as if he had something else to say. "Anything else, Morino?" Tsunade asked.

"Read carefully, Hokage-sama." the interrogation expert advised. "Much like the man himself, Umino's influence can be easily overlooked." And the Jounin took his leave from one thoughtful Hokage and one very confused assistant.

-

Inuzuka Eiji trudged down the walkway, fighting back tears as the single shadow on the Academy steps once again reminded him that his best friend was not at his side. Aomaru would not be there to run, to play, or to lick his hand when he felt bad for another three days. It was all his fault, and if he wasn't careful, he could lose his best friend forever. His mother had been very clear on that, that if he kept fighting with his 'comrades' then he would lose Aomaru, and maybe even be pulled out of the Academy.

He vaguely noticed a group of boys crowded close together on the top landing, but he just couldn't bring himself to care about whatever it was that had them all so excited. But one of the boys noticed him. "Eiji-kun's moping again." Daichi-kun told the others.

Takeshi-kun made a face. "Jeez, what kinda crybaby gets so… so _babyish_ just cause his puppy can't come to school for a few days?"

Eiji froze, eyes going wide in shock. Even the other boys gasped and stepped back, unable to believe that Takeshi had just said that. Then Eiji whirled around, fists clenched, one foot stepping towards the other boy before he caught himself. His eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking out as the depthless grief and anger that only a small child can feel welled up inside of him. "You…" he choked out, shaking with emotion. "You wouldn't get it… _civilian_." With those poisonous words, Eiji whirled and ran blindly for the classroom, ignoring the outraged shrieks of the blond he left behind him.

-

Tsunade thumbed carefully through the file in front of her, pausing as she found the little strip of red tape that had been used to draw her attention to a particular line. She glanced briefly at the report summary – a Jounin had gone off the deep end, held an Academy class hostage, and then just given himself up. She frowned in mild confusion as she read the paragraph that had been flagged. Specifically, the transcript of the initial interrogation.

_/ Subject has remained silent throughout initial questioning. Additional T&I operatives arrive to transport subject to comprehensive interrogation chamber. Subject stands, speaks. Subject states: "He apologized, you know." Operative queries: "Who?" Subject states: "That kid. The one with the scar across his nose. Don't know his name." Subject shakes head, smiles. "I was going to kill him, to kill them all. He knew that, but… the little brat looked me in the face and said 'Your eyes look hurt. I'm sorry that someone hurt you so much'. What kind of kid feels bad for his killer?" Interrogation team unable to elicit further speech from subject. /_

Tsunade pulled out the roll sheet for the hostage class, glancing over the pictures of the young students. They couldn't have been more than nine years old… and there was only one with a scar on his nose.

She pulled a random file from the box. Skipping straight to the red flagging, she read over the lines. _/ You know, what made me decide to do it… I couldn't forget what that little Genin said. The cute kid… Iruka, I think they called him. We had been talking about heroes. The kids… they'd been going on about how… how they were *gasp* were going to… be like that… fight. And how, if they died… it'd be saving everyone… as a hero. And this kid, this Iruka… when they asked him… he said, "I think it'd be easy *cough* to be a hero…when it's someone you love, or… when everyone's watching… When you'll be remembered forever." He said… said "I think the strongest heroes… are the ones who sacrifice… for one person… for one stranger… or, *cough* or when the people you save… won't ever know it… was you…" /_

Now Tsunade looked at the report summary. A Medical team, one that had shared an overnight camp with Umino's Genin team, had been checking out rumors of a plague in a fairly isolated area. The group had been attacked, split up. The medic-nin on the team had found that a madman was putting chemicals into the town's water supply and had, upon being discovered, added a fast-acting poison. Unaware that her comrades had survived, the woman had purified the water source alone. The medic saved the townspeople, but died of chakra exhaustion.

Those two cases were easily the most obvious, but…

Another file. A young Genin had come in to the hospital, asking for a check-up. _/ "I think I'm fine. I don't see why I need an appointment, but Umino is worried about me. Says I'm just not quite myself lately." /_ The medics found that he had a mild genjutsu placed on him, one that worked subtly, slowly warping the mind. If it had gone unchecked, paranoia would have quickly overcome reason, and the boy would likely have attacked his comrades. On and on it went, some more obvious than others, but all with one common trait. Something that Umino – or "that cute/quiet kid with the scar" – said or did either inspired someone to something great, stopped someone from doing something bad, or got someone help while the person could still BE helped.

Tsunade sat back, vaguely noting that it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon and she hadn't eaten yet. But mostly, she wasn't thinking of much. She felt rather… numb. Most of the time Umino's involvement was small, something you really wouldn't catch unless you were looking for it. He never _caught _missing-nin, but one would turn him or herself in. And something Umino, or Iruka, or 'that kid' had said would come out during interrogation. He never _found _medical problems, but patients would come in when they weren't scheduled, and the medics would usually find something wrong. And if the medics questioned the patient, it was always "a friend was worried about me" or "a guy I know thought I didn't seem quite right".

_'And everyone that I've spoken to says that Umino is "steady".'_ she thought._ 'That if you're upset, you go to him and he lets you cry. That if you're angry, he let you rant and then somehow soothes you. That if you need advice, he tries to give some. That he's just… Iruka. That's what everyone says, "He's Iruka".'_

As Tsunade put the last file down, she noticed a folded sheet of paper at the bottom of the box. Picking it up, she opened the page to find Ibiki's neat script. _/ Hokage-sama, if you have read through the files and reached this note, then I thought that you might be interested to hear this. The psychology department has developed a tradition over the last few years – every time someone suddenly seems to be doing better, they wager on whether or not that shinobi has recently spoken with Umino. Very few of them will still bet no. – Morino, Ibiki. /_

"God," Tsunade murmured, still seeming slightly dazed. "If he's affected this many people when they're so far gone… how the hell many has he stopped before they get bad enough to file a report on?"

-

Iruka snapped his attention back towards his children. All day long Takeshi-kun had been trying to start an argument with Eiji-kun, who had been completely ignoring the blond. This, of course, only infuriated the six year old even more. Something must have happened before school started, because none of the other children were getting involved in the matter – in fact, a few of them were pulling away classmates who tried to get involved.

Whatever it was, Takeshi-kun was only getting more and more upset as the day went on. He had already had to scold the blond a number of times, and had even put the boy in a corner during snack time. _'Five seconds' _the teacher thought._ 'I step out of the room for five seconds, and they're at it again.'_ He had literally stepped right outside the room, still visible through the window in the door, in order to give one of the new Teacher's Aids directions to the classroom she was assigned to. And now Takeshi-kun was practically screaming at Eiji-kun who, while obviously fuming, was still not talking back.

Iruka shoved through the door, leaving the girl in mid-sentence as the level of anger in Takeshi's voice triggered Iruka's danger sense. "Alright, boys. What's going -"

"Don't you IGNORE ME!" the little blond screamed, anger breaking into the brilliant flare of white-hot rage some children can momentarily hold, even as he jumped to his feet, snatched something out of his backpack and flung it hard at the other boy.

_"Oh, shit!"_

Iruka was never sure, afterwards, if he actually said that out loud or only thought it, but it was the first thing that went through his mind as his training instantly recognized the glint of light, the whine of sound that signaled a kunai cutting through the air. Later he would wonder where a six year old had gotten a sharp blade, but at the time… Iruka had never moved so quickly in his life. The part of him that was Academy teacher was nearly frantic, praying that he could be fast enough. The part that was Konoha shinobi was calm, coolly analyzing the situation.

Then the entire class gasped, and no few of the children screamed in horror as blood splattered on the floor.

* * *

**A/N:** Remember, no killing the authoress! You'll never find out what happens if you kill me! *hides anyway*


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Okay, cliffhanger over. Not much happens in this chapter, but I still like it - hopefully you all will too.

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed: **terracannon876, WhyMustIWrite, InARealPickle, XimeB **and **Veve**.

chibi heishi does not own Naruto or anything in his world.

* * *

Iruka slowly released the breath he had automatically sucked in, raising his arm from in front of his stomach to almost shoulder level. His eyes were fixed, not on the kunai lodged firmly in his forearm, but on the blond child standing just a few feet away. Takeshi's face had lost the red flush of anger, instead draining to a bone white shade. The boy was trembling, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps as he stared in utter horror.

The room was nearly silent, the only sounds being the soft sobs of some of the more tender-hearted children, and the steady drip of blood onto the classroom floor. All eyes were riveted on the teacher as he reached up with his free hand. One of the little ones choked on a cry as Iruka calmly, so very calmly, wrapped that hand around the handle of the kunai. He pulled it out of his arm without so much as flinching, stepping just that small distance forward and laying the weapon on Takeshi's desk. Once the weapon was out of his hand, he covered the wound, applying firm pressure but never taking his eyes off of the child's face.

When he spoke, his voice was soft, but every child in the room could hear the steel underneath it. "Matsuda-kun."

The boy flinched. Iruka had _never_ called any of the children by their family names. Iruka went on as if he had not noticed the child's reaction.

"What you just did was very dangerous. You just attacked your teammate. Not with words, or even with fists, but with a bladed weapon. He has no weapon, no way of defending himself. You could have seriously hurt Eiji-kun. You could have killed him. I… had expected better than this." When Iruka turned away, the boy rocked back as if he had been slapped. In truth, it would have been kinder to have beaten the child.

Iruka stopped near the little Inuzuka, kneeling to look the boy in the face. "Eiji-kun, are you alright?" The boy nodded numbly. Iruka gave him a soft, empty smile, and then stood to address the rest of the class. His voice was still low, still soft… still fur wrapped around steel. And now that they could see his face, all the children shuddered. His expression was calm, but every child in the room realized that his eyes were dark, shielded as they had never seen in their gentle sensei.

"Class, I want you all to finish reading chapter six of your textbooks tonight, and do the problems at the end of the chapter. We'll go over it in class in the morning, but for now… Class is dismissed." One of the children plucked up his courage, raising one trembling hand in the air. "Yes, Jiro-kun?"

"S, sensei… are you…"

Iruka's face softened, a touch of warmth returning to his eyes as he looked around at his children. "I'm fine, everyone. This is nothing, I'll just get some bandages from the nurse and I'll be grading your assignments tomorrow. It's only a small wound." Then his voice dropped, murmuring as if to himself. "Only a small wound. But it could have been so much worse."

Without another word to his children, he walked out the door, two hours before class was supposed to end. He walked past the Teacher's Aid standing frozen in the hall, and down a corridor towards the nurses' station, not at all surprised when the girl fell in beside him, her eyes almost as wide as those of his students.

-

Kisho, Mori cursed in annoyance. The man shoved the box back onto it's proper shelf, all the while muttering under his breath at the 'careless ninja bastards' who 'couldn't be bothered to put their own damn stuff back up'. _'Well,' _he thought. _'At least it's lunch break, so those damn ninjas won't bother me for another hour.'_ One last grumbled complaint, and Mori straightened up, dusting off the knees of his pants. His spine stiffened as a bright laugh rang out from behind him. He spun on his heel, taking an automatic step back as he found himself face to face with the Recruiter.

The ninja smiled, but the expression lacked any trace of warmth. Those bright eyes glittered with a cold, sharp madness as the ninja leaned in towards the civilian. "Kisho-san, the Village of the Hidden Rocks regrets to inform you that your assistance in this venture is no longer necessary. Have a nice death."

The man had no chance to process the younger one's words – he was dead before he hit the ground. The last thing that Mori heard was the delighted laughter of the Rock ninja.

-

Nozomi glanced up as she walked beside the man, wide brown eyes once more flicking between the Chunin's bleeding arm and bland expression. After a few more steps, she took a breath to speak, but Iruka glanced at her and shook his head. And not two heartbeats later, they both heard light, quick footsteps rushing down the hall.

Matsuda Takeshi raced down the hall, stumbling to a stop a few feet away from his teacher. Nozomi stopped one step before the teacher did, turning to face the child. Iruka didn't look at him. The child opened his mouth, hesitated, closed it again… he did this a few times, before finally forcing out a single word. "Sen…sei?" the boy whispered, his young voice shaken. The sight of the child, standing pale and trembling in the hall, tears streaming down his face, nearly broke Nozomi's heart.

But the Academy instructor did not even glance man simply spoke, his voice – not cold, not quite, but… blank. Bland. Empty enough to make the teenager shiver. "Class is over, Matsuda-kun. I will see you in the morning. Now go home." The child made a soft, strangled sound, and then he whirled and ran.

Nozomi stared, then stepped around the older shinobi, fully intending to rant at him for such callous treatment. But then… then those eyes, which he had apparently closed when speaking to the boy, opened. He looked down at his arm, his free hand now covered in his own blood, and his eyes lost that blank look. Her breath caught again in her throat. _'So much pain…'_ her mind dimly registered. She swallowed, getting her breath back enough to speak. "Um, Umino-san? Are you… Does your arm hurt that badly?"

The Chunin blinked, glancing from her to the wound as though he had forgotten that it was there. "My arm? Oh, this? No, no, like I told my class, it's fine. I got worse than this from some of my last class' 'pranks'."

"Then, what… what pains you so much, sensei?" As Nozomi took a small step closer, she realized that it wasn't just pain, but a great sadness in the teacher's eyes. He smiled a little for her, but a blind man would have been able to tell that it was forced.

When he spoke again, his voice was so soft, so sad. "I… I hurt one of my children today. Hurt him badly." The teacher shook himself slightly, resuming the walk to the nurses' station and leaving Nozomi behind.

She stood in the hallway, brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the apparent non-sequitur. And then she gasped, her jaw dropping in sudden understanding. Nozomi ran after the teacher, catching up to him as he stepped out from the nurses' station with a roll of bandages in his hand. She gaped at him for a moment, struggling to make her words come out as he leaned against the wall, casually wrapping his arm as if he did it every day. Finally she blurted it out. "You… You _let_ that hit you, didn't you?!"

Iruka looked up at her, a faint wry smile tugging at the edges of his lips. "Of course. You didn't really think that a six year old would be able to truly hurt a grown Chunin, did you? Though I have to admit, I was worried about Eiji-kun for a moment there. Wasn't sure I'd be fast enough."

Nozomi spluttered, fully aware that she was _not_ acting much like a shinobi at the moment, but not really caring. "But, you… he… _Why_?!"

Now the teacher really did smile, although softly, his eyes going distant. Rather like his voice. "Takeshi-kun… really does have the makings of a fine shinobi. He's smart, he's enthusiastic, he works hard, he has a knack for weapons – well, kunai at least… But… He has a terrible temper. He has a great deal of control – when he focuses on something he nearly has to be pried away from it, he'd have practiced straight through lunch yesterday if I had let him – but he has no discipline. He only controls himself when it suits _him_. Shinobi… can't do that."

Iruka looked down at his wounded arm, face thoughtful as he paused, carefully sorting his next words. "I could have caught that blade. I could have screamed at Takeshi-kun until I was blue in the face, made him stand in a corner until his legs were numb, made him write lines or clean up until his hands cramped. But… that would have stopped him for a few days. After that, he would go back to being temperamental. If he graduated from the Academy with that temper, it would only be a matter of time before he attacked a teammate like that again. But next time, he would be older, better trained. His aim would be much more accurate, the speed and force behind his throw much greater. …I was able to take the blow on the top of my forearm, where it will hurt, but there was no chance of cutting an artery or getting nerve damage. Before long, that might not be the case."

"I could have caught it" he stated, his voice once more dropping into that soft murmur that gave Nozomi the impression that he had forgotten she was there and was speaking to himself. "I could have, but this way… If I haven't traumatized him too much, if he comes back to class tomorrow, I can almost promise… That child will never attack a teammate again. It's a harsh way to teach a lesson, even brutal, but… I'd rather that I hurt now than one of my children hurt later."

Nozomi released a soft breath, unaware that she had been holding it until the man had finished. But then she gulped, as the sound had snapped the teacher's attention back to her.

Those brown eyes were suddenly sharp, pinning the girl in place. This time, when he spoke, his voice was strong and sure. "Nozomi-chan, you _will __**not**_ speak of this to the teacher you were assigned to. Takeshi-kun made a mistake – a terrible one, yes, but one that he is truly sorry for and will not repeat. If this goes on his school record, it could ruin his chance to be a shinobi. If I believe that any risk to his classmates remains after today, I will pull him from the Academy myself. But for now, this matter is over. Do you understand?" After the girl had nodded her assent, the teacher walked away, once again leaving the bewildered teenager standing in the hall.

Just after Iruka turned the corner, Nozomi heard a soft chuckle from the doorway of the nurses' station. She spun to face the door, only to find the medic leaning against the doorframe. "So it _was_ one of his kids. I figured that was why he wouldn't say what had happened." The woman shook her head in amusement. "Only Iruka would bleed to teach his kids a lesson. Of course, that's probably why his kids tend to be the best…"


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I'm back. This chapter is a little short, and I'm not so sure on the quality of parts of it, but I've looked at it so much that I can't _see_ it anymore. Anyway, thanks again to my reviewers (takes deep breath) **WhyMustIWrite, beyondthecrystalsea, InARealPickle, I am a Fun-nin, Kaka Fan, Veve, Swiss Army Knife, xXreviewerXx **and **iNsAnE nO bAkA**.

And I'm just borrowing Naruto.

**

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**Iruka walked slowly through the streets, expression closed even as his shoulders slumped, body language all but screaming 'something is wrong'. He dragged up a half smile for the various people who greeted him, but brushed off the concerned questions that they asked.

He hesitated for a moment at one street corner, but then turned and walked towards the business district. _'I'll pick up supper tonight' _he thought ruefully. _'Even if I can function with this arm, I'd really rather not cook. Like Sensei used to say, "shinobi are __**tolerant**__ of pain, not __**immune**__ to it"._

Ducking into a small empty diner, he waved to the young man behind the counter with his good arm. Iruka hesitated, noting with a little concern that the teenager was highly upset. The sixteen year old's jaw was tightly clenched, his motions sharp as he cleaned the counter around the grills. Iruka stepped up, lightly tapping on the countertop to attract the boy's attention. "Hey, Yasui-kun. Are you okay? You seem a little tense today."

The young man looked up, his eyes widening as he noticed the bandage wrapped around the teacher's arm. "Iruka-san, never mind me. What happened to you?! How'd you get hurt? And why are you here instead of at home?"

Iruka chuckled briefly, waving away the teen's concern. "It's nothing, Yasui-kun. Just a little accident in the classroom. And I'm here because I thought I'd pick up some good food, instead of trying to make something edible." Iruka genuinely smiled as the teenager laughed, casually making note of the way that the younger one's body lost the tenseness that had first caught Iruka's attention. "Now," the teacher stated, leaning towards the young man. "Enough about me, what's got you so upset?"

The young man hesitated, clearly debating whether or not to 'bother' Iruka, but he finally leaned against the counter. "Well, it's just… It's stupid, but… it just makes me so _mad_…"

-

He stopped, pausing in his approach and waiting for a moment, watching the two men interact. His mind quickly placed the scarred Chunin as one of the investigators on the case. '_Strange as __**that**__ still seems…'_ The shinobi slipped farther away, back into the streets, carefully avoiding attracting the attention of either of the pair as he closely watched his potential target. Both of them.

-

Sachiko worked methodically, her eyes distant as her hands rhythmically chopped vegetables for the night's supper. Her mind was obviously far away – specifically, eleven blocks away inside of a large brick building. She focused for a moment when Tomi came in, smiling when he kissed her cheek and swatting away the hand trying to steal a piece of carrot, but her attention soon drifted again. Her husband wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on top of her head as he spoke. "Okay, Sachi. What's wrong? You're not still worried about Takeshi, are you?"

She hummed, leaning back into his warmth as she tried to banish her anxiety. "I know I shouldn't, Tomi, it's just… Takeshi's a good boy, and I'm proud of him, but he's still only a boy. And he has _such_ a temper, I can't help but wor-" Sachiko never got to finish that sentence, interrupted by the front door slamming open.

She and her husband traded startled glances as they caught the sounds of sobbing, running footsteps, and saw a flash of blond hair passing by the kitchen door. Both adults instantly dropped what they were doing as they hurried to their son's room, only to find the boy curled up on his bed, sobbing as if his heart was broken. Hesitating in the doorway, Sachiko put one hand gently on her husband's arm. When Tomi looked at her, she shook her head, silently gesturing for him to let her handle this.

Once he nodded and stepped back, Sachiko stepped into the room. She settled on the bed, reaching out to pull her baby into her arms. Rocking him gently, she ran her fingers lightly through soft blond hair. "Oh, sweetie. What happened?"

-

Kiemon looked up as a young shinobi rapped lightly on the door. With a gesture, the little Genin stepped in, bowing his respect as was appropriate. The youngling dropped off an envelope – nothing special, just plain white paper – addressed in a smooth cursive script. Kiemon opened the envelope, glancing briefly at the contents of the letter. …and paused. Looked carefully back over the letter. Activated the jutsu to seal the room from eyes, ears and entry. Closed his eyes and ran his fingers lightly over the lines.

He opened his eyes, flipped over the sheet of paper, grabbed a spare paper and began carefully transcribing the points where the writer of the letter had pressed the pen just a little harder against the paper. Once every inch of the paper had been gone over – three times – the spare paper had a neat series of sentences written in modified Braille.

A vicious smile lit up the Rock Jounin's face as he began to decode the message. He was going to helping Konoha fall.

-

Anyone looking into the room at that point in time would have wondered where someone had gotten such a variety of odd individuals. The behavior of the dozen or so assorted Jounin varied. The easy going patience of Asuma almost made up for the barely restrained energy of Heika. Genma's uniform provided visual relief from Ruriko's bright purple coat. Hyuuga Hiashi's ramrod posture and razor focus contrasted sharply with Sharingan Kakashi's slouched seat and apparent drowsiness. All together, they were a very odd sight. But they all sat just a little straighter, paid just a little more attention as their Hokage strode into the meeting room.

When Tsunade activated the jutsu to prevent sound from escaping the room, Kakashi even sat up. The blonde woman looked out over the most trusted – and discrete – of Konoha's Jounin, waiting the few seconds that it took for the group to silence itself. "All right." She called. "I'm sure that most, if not all of you have noticed that ANBU have been on the streets more than usual lately. It's time you know why…"

-

They gathered at the store that one of them helped mind, entering in twos and threes, with a few individuals slipping in by themselves. The store's employee was off now, only remaining because he had no particular place to go. Besides, the back stockroom made for a good meeting place. They chatted together, those who had been coming longer introducing newcomers to the group.

Finally they were all together, and it was time to get started. They broke off into smaller groups, mixing newcomers with those who had been there longer in order to help the new ones become familiar with the preparations. They slowly quieted, idle chatter fading away as they all focused on the work at hand. After all, they had to have it just right. They would only get one chance.

-

Eri ran a finger distractedly along the rim of his glass, a rare thoughtful expression on his young face. He sat quietly, using the moment to soak in the feel of the crowd before the new batch of patrons noticed him. Green eyes flitted from person to person, watching as they spoke, laughed, grumbled and clapped shoulders or pulled away from each other. A faint frown tugged at the young man's lips as he noticed just how many of the men coming in were upset, grumbling and glaring. He closed his eyes, taking a deep but subtle breath as he centered himself. A moment later, he stepped out of his booth, a little grin on his lips as he teasingly asked the nearest man if he needed to borrow a bed. "Seems like you need to get up on the other side, eh?"

-

The room was utterly silent. Heika sat still, his normally animated face almost expressionless. Asuma had long since put out his cigar, and Genma had spit his senbon into the wall in an earlier flash of temper. Kurenai had her fists clenched lightly in her lap, and Hiashi leaned forward, radiating the coiled grace of a predator. Shikaku had stepped over to the nearest map and was now running rough fingers along it, murmuring nonsense that would probably turn into genius under his breath.

The Jounin gathered in the meeting room were no longer the odd collection of eccentrics that they had been an hour ago. Whereas before, an observer would have seen many potential psych patients, now that same observer would shiver. There was no doubt now that these were highly trained, very dangerous warriors.

Finally the silence was broken. Kakashi leaned in, his one visible eye narrowed as he spoke in a dark, smooth tone. "So, Hokage-sama, who else is investigating this? …I'd hate to waste time following someone who is only watching others because he is searching for our prey."

Tsunade nodded once, calling in the few ANBU captains that would be working with the Jounins. And the silence turned into a chorus of low murmurs as the Jounin and ANBU agents gathered into small groups to discuss details of the investigation.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Okay, hopefully this chapter will be better than the last one. (Really, sorry about that. It just sort of died on me.) And I think that this fic will probably be about three or so more chapters after this one. Thank you to my reviewers: **iNsAnE nO bAkA, terracannon876, Haruka-Hime, WhyMustIWrite, and InARealPickle.** You're all great!

**Disclaimer: **I tried to buy Naruto, but they laughed at me.

* * *

Far from Konoha, another group of shinobi were just as focused, just as intense. The Rock nin drilled relentlessly, practicing attack formations and jutsu both simple and complex. Moves and techniques that they had thought they knew were practiced, the theory and possible applications discussed until many of the shinobi felt that they were learning something entirely new.

Hand-to-hand and weapons training took up their mornings until lunch. By the time they were able to break for food, even the best of the Rock's Jounin were covered with bruises. The shinobi rested during the heat of the day, many napping before the early evening was spent studying tactics and the best maps of Konoha that the undercover pair had sent. Another break for supper, and then nin- and gen-jutsu practice late into the night.

But not one of them complained. Though their leaders were driving them harder than most of them had ever imagined, and they did not yet know how they were going to breach the outer walls, they swore and sweated with sharp smiles and sparkling eyes. Konoha was going to fall – and every shinobi in Rock Village wanted to help it go down.

-

Back in the Hidden Leaf, the mood in the air depended on the company you kept. Iruka was currently keeping rather good company – namely himself – so he found the day quite pleasant. He was currently taking a lunch break, relaxing on a bench in one of the many small parks in Konoha. After spending all morning in the markets, listening to everyone who would speak with him and cautiously probing for hidden bitterness or anger – not to mention having to flag down a member of ANBU and report his progress – he needed to spend time amongst people who he didn't have to analyze everything they said. Hence the park.

Iruka was a people person, he always had been, but he particularly enjoyed the company of children. They were so open, so honest, and the joy and pride and wonder in their eyes when they understood something new… Yes, as irritating as they could sometimes be, Iruka wouldn't trade his time with Konoha's children for all the glory and honor in the Fire Country.

Right now he was watching the civilian ones, smiling around his food and chuckling at the little ones' antics. The girls were playing various quiet games, such as jump rope and clap-hands, the now-familiar chant of "su-zu-me" in high voices, but they only briefly held the teacher's attention. No, his interest was caught by a group of the boys playing 'ninja' as they called it, using the civilian term for his profession.

Iruka fondly shook his head, fighting back a chuckle as the boys made up 'hand seals' for a group 'mega attack', the apparent leader of the group energetically scolding a few of the boys who 'did it wrong'. Needing a respite from the tension in his comrades, Iruka took his time with his meal, enjoying the simple pleasure of watching the children play.

-

Across the city, the mood was also one of relaxed pleasure. Though if anyone had known to look for it, they would have seen the smug edge to the smiles playing on two shinobi's lips. Of course, most of those who knew that the pair were shinobi would have been shaking in their shoes at the sight. The Recruiter's little smile deepened into a full smirk, bright eyes filled with satisfaction as the young shinobi spoke. "So you see, it's all going according to plan. We're almost ready, just a few more days – a week at most – and we'll be good to go. The others are ready, aren't they?"

The older of the pair nodded, his own smile shifting as he answered. "Yes, they are. They're still running drills, but once they get the report I sent this morning, they'll stop. So all of our men will be rested, and all of Konoha will be caught off guard."

The Recruiter snickered, the sound oddly cynical. "Even if they are on guard now, it won't matter. We'll bypass the walls, let our friends straight into the Village – and Konoha will never anticipate how."

The man raised a glass, and his partner clinked their tea cups together with laughing eyes and deceptively straight faces.

-

Yet in a house not far from the plotting, there were no smiles to be found. Kazumi looked yet again towards the front door of her house. Her son was at the Academy – after much convincing – her daughter was at her school, and she had the day off of work. In other words, she had too much time to think about everything that had gone wrong yesterday. Or more specifically, how she didn't know what had gone wrong yesterday.

Finally she sighed, unable to stand it anymore. She crossed to the phone, rifled through the address book sitting beside it, found the name she was looking for and dialed the number. After two rings, the click of the receiver being picked up echoed on the line. "Hello?" Kazumi smiled slightly, her relief at hearing her friend's voice short lived. As she heard the distress in the other woman's tone, her own worries suddenly seemed less significant. "Sachi-chan, what's wrong?! What happened?"

As Sachiko spoke, obviously fighting tears, Kazumi's eyes slowly went wide. The two civilian mothers spent two long hours on the phone, talking about the heartbreak that each of them had seen in their sons. Kazumi finally understood why Aki had been so very quiet the day before, not to mention so hesitant to return to school that morning. And Sachiko was able to finally talk about the brutal lesson her child had been taught.

Once they hung up the phones, both mothers sat quietly in their homes, reflecting on the lives their sons had chosen, and the fact that it would not be long before they would lose the ability to understand what their babies were going through.

-

All throughout the city, various Jounin helped the ANBU search over and over again. They kept eyes and ears open for any trace of hostility, any hint of dissatisfaction among their people.

Of course, their students didn't know that.

Shikamaru briefly considered sitting up and glaring at the other teenagers around him, but decided that it wasn't worth the effort. _'Besides'_ he thought pragmatically, _'if they're not phased by Neji __**and**__ Shino's combined death glare, I seriously doubt that adding mine will make much difference.'_ The three Genin teams – _'and one Chunin'_ he reminded himself, not yet accustomed to his new rank – had been gathered together because Asuma and Kurenai thought that they would benefit from mixing up the teams for a training exercise. And of course, when Lee heard Kiba talking about it he begged to be allowed to participate. Gai was ecstatic about the idea, something about "the incredible teamwork built in the springtime of youth!"

And so, the three teams had shown up. And then, Asuma and Kurenai had left without a word. And Gai had followed them, wondering – loudly – where they could be going. And so the teenagers had been sitting around, bored stupid, for the last hour and a half. Lee had already challenged every person in the group at least four times, and Kiba had taken him up on it once. The younger Green Beast was currently doing three-fingered push-ups under the watchful eyes of Shino's bugs, while Tenten tossed random weapons at Kiba's head when he and Akamaru got too loud. Chouji was quietly discussing cooking with Hinata, of all people, and Neji… was being Neji. Enough said.

Since they hadn't been dismissed – and their teachers had threatened varying degrees of horrible punishment if they left before their exercise was done – Shikamaru had nothing to do but think. His mind went over facts slowly, but in what most people would consider to be painful detail. He carefully considered a multitude of tiny, seemingly unrelated facts such as: the increase of ANBU he had noticed on the streets – not to mention the ones he was sure he had not seen. The fact that both Asuma and Kurenai had spent so many of the teen's training sessions with their heads bowed close together, mostly ignoring their students in favor of unusually serious discussion. The fact that he had seen normally unsociable Jounin actually talking to other Jounin. The decrease in the number of cigars that Asuma smoked – the man always put out his cigars when stressed. Shikamaru's own father pulling out his maps…

Shikamaru considered all these things, and he came up with only one solution. "Guys" he stated. Chouji and Hinata looked over, but everyone else ignored him. A light frown crossed his face, followed closely by an exasperated sigh. He sat up, his expression taking on an unusually serious edge. "Guys." he called again. This time, the cold, commanding tone in his voice earned him their undivided attention. Shino even let Lee get up and come over. He looked over the other eight teens as they gathered around him, their expressions ranging from Ino's shock, to Kiba's curiosity, and even to Neji's 'mission mode' focus. Shikamaru sighed mentally, but his voice was strong as he spoke. "Guys, I've been thinking about it. I think we have a problem…"

-

As the teenagers were discussing the likelihood of some sort of all-out attack on Konoha, one other teenager was silently going through every calming exercise he had ever learned. They weren't helping. When the dark haired woman stepped out, Eri felt his heart hammering in his chest. "The Hokage will see you now." the woman – she had told him her name, but he couldn't remember it – informed him.

He couldn't believe that he actually got a meeting with the Godaime of Konoha, but he steeled his nerves as he stepped into the office. Though the impression of sheer _power_ he got from the blonde woman behind the desk nearly sent him running back out. The young man stepped into the center of the room, bowed as was appropriate, and then dropped to the floor. On his knees, ankles crossed behind him and hands out to his sides, Eri's position was very uncomfortable, but clearly impossible to move quickly from. His head bowed, exposing the back of his neck to the shinobi he _knew_ were standing nearby – even if he couldn't see them – he spoke to the floor.

"Hokage-sama, my name is Asano, Eri – Chunin from the Village of the Hidden Rock…"


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Okay, finals are over and the story is ON! ...Actually, nothing really _happens_ in this chapter, but it's still an important one. Only two or three left now. Anyway, thank you again to all my reviewers, old and new: **Veve, WhyMustIWrite, iNsAnE nO bAkA, kirallie, jazzy2may, InARealPickle, aquitaineq, Auphora66, Lydia and Rangerfan58.** You're all great!

Legal stuff: If I owned any part of Naruto then this wouldn't be _fan_ fiction.

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'_Dead' _Eri thought, heart lodging in his throat as he heard the faint rustle indicating that Konoha's ANBU were moving in fast._ 'I am __**SO**__ dead.'_ Although… he _was_ still breathing… For the moment. Daring to press his luck, the Rock Chunin spoke around the pulse still hammering in his throat. "I…" – a quick breath, a subtle gulp to try and control his voice – "I bring a message, information that could be of use to Konoha." Barely breathing, he waited, eyes locked on the floor. Forcing himself not to tremble before the frightening power of the Hokage.

After a small eternity, the woman spoke. "Well? This had best be worth my time, Asano-san."

Eri felt a small surge of relief which he immediately squashed. He knew that he was acting like a rookie Genin, but damn it, he had been tense since before he ever left the Rock Village, and there was only so much a man could take. His nerves were shot, trying to avoid detection from his own and Konoha's people, _and_ find two undercover agents in a city of shinobi. And he still wasn't out of danger yet. Not by a long shot. And so, never taking his eyes off of the ground, making absolutely sure that the Konoha shinobi _knew_ he was harmless right now, he spoke.

Eri reported quickly, communicating in the efficient manner that any fairly experienced shinobi was familiar with. "As stated, Hokage-sama, I hail from the Hidden Rock Village. Our Village has recently come under new leadership, as you are undoubtedly aware. The new leader is planning an invasion, preparing to assault Konoha even as we speak. A small number of shinobi within the Hidden Rock disagree with this decision. We are – not quite rebelling, yet – but certainly prepared to do so. We know that our leader has sent two shinobi – one codenamed The Recruiter, another simply called Handler – to infiltrate Konoha and convert as many of its citizens as possible. The pair intends to allow access into Konoha for our shinobi. Unfortunately, we do not have information regarding the identities of this pair or the manner in which they intend to provide access. I was sent to Konoha to attempt to identify this pair and report them to your own people. It… We had hoped that, by identifying the undercover agents, the few of us who disagreed with the plan would be able to prove that we were allies of Konoha, and perhaps beg sanctuary. Our Village… will not be happy when they discover that we are actively working against them."

A heartbeat, a breath of silence, and then the Hokage spoke. "Obviously, you have failed in identifying this pair. Why, then, do you reveal yourself now?"

Eri gathered his courage, daring to lift his head enough to look the Hokage in the eye. "Because, Hokage-sama, this morning I received an update from my fellow dissenters back in the Hidden Stone. Our shinobi have stopped holding drills. They have gathered weapons, and word is that the order to march will be given within the coming two weeks. I believe that we have run out of time, Hokage-sama, and I can no longer justify withholding information from those we had hoped to ally with."

Green eyes dropped back to the carpet, the young Chunin waiting to hear his fate. After an agonizing few moments, the Hokage spoke again. "Stand up, Asano-san. I want to hear everything you can tell me about the Hidden Rock, and particularly about this plot."

-

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, another young heart beat with just as much – or perhaps even more – fear as Eri's had only moments ago. Takeshi drew a breath, glancing over at his teacher before biting his lip, releasing that breath and dropping his eyes to his hands. He wasn't entirely sure that he was allowed to ask questions just yet. The others were, but… _'but they didn't hurt Sensei'_ the boy thought. So he held his tongue, focusing instead on repeating the exact motions that Iruka-sensei had shown them earlier that day.

The seals for the small water jutsu were few and simple, making it a good technique to teach eager children. Not to mention the fact that the worst damage such a small jutsu could do if it got out of the child's control was ruin a few papers. After another half hour – and a few excited squeals as a child got the jutsu to work – class was dismissed. But as Takeshi stood to leave with the others, a calm, familiar voice stopped him.

"Takeshi-kun, a moment?" Iruka asked, reaching out to tap the little blond's shoulder as he passed the child. The boy gulped, dread rising up to choke him. It would be the first time he had been alone with his teacher since… Shaking his head hard to dispel the memory that caused his first real nightmares, he sat quietly at his desk until his classmates filed out, most of them either ignoring him or giving him disgusted looks as they passed. That was nothing new, though. They had been doing it every day for the last week.

Finally – too soon – the room was empty. Silent save for the rustle of paper as Iruka neatly stacked the class's latest work. Once the papers were settled on the teacher's desk, Iruka stepped around and settled himself on the desk beside the boy. His smile was as warm as it had ever been, and that somehow made the child feel even guiltier. Takeshi's eyes nearly crossed in surprise when Iruka reached out and quickly tapped the end of the boy's nose. "Now, now Takeshi-kun. Don't worry, you aren't in trouble. I just noticed during class that you looked like there was something bothering you. Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

Takeshi hesitated, but then shook himself a little. "It's just something about today's lesson, Sensei. There was just a bit I didn't get." Iruka's curious look silently encouraged the boy to go on. "It's just… that seal stuff…" I don't get why we have to do it!" Iruka blinked a little in confusion, but the child was obviously struggling with his words, so he waited for the question to straighten out. And it finally did. "I just don't get… this chakra stuff, it's part of _me_, right?" Dark eyes grew thoughtful even as a slow nod answered the boy, who blurted out the rest in a rush, confusion and irritation warring in his voice. "Well if it's part of me, then why… why does what my hands do matter?!"

A long moment of silence followed this outburst, and then Iruka couldn't help it anymore. The smile that had been flitting at the edges of his lips during the impassioned query broke into a full laugh. Trying to control his chuckles, Iruka reached out and ruffled the child's hair, laughing harder as the boy squeaked at the action. Once the teacher got himself mostly back under control, he just shook his head, lips still twitching a bit as he answered. "Takeshi-kun, you really are going to be something else. Most of my students don't ask that until after they've graduated. If then. But to answer your question, it _doesn't_ matter." Biting down on another chuckle at the boy's obvious confusion, Iruka explained a little further.

"Seals are just habits, Takeshi-kun. The way you make your chakra flow is what makes the jutsu work, so you _could_ do jutsu without doing anything at all with your hands. It takes a lot of time and practice, and most shinobi who do it only have one or two jutsu that they use it with. But by practicing seals over and over, we teach our bodies to move chakra a certain way without needing to think about it. So instead of thinking 'I need to move _this_ much chakra at_ this _speed to _this_ area for _this_ long' you just think 'Dragon' and your body knows all of that. It's much faster, and in a fight, speed is one of the biggest advantages you can have. Does that make sense?"

Takeshi was still a little confused, but he sort of got the basic idea, so he nodded again and thanked his teacher. He gathered his things as the man sat down at his desk, presumably to grade some of those papers. On his way out, the child paused in the doorway, glancing back at the Chunin. Feeling eyes on him, Iruka looked up. "Yes?"

A little fidgeting, but the blond finally asked what had really been bothering him all week. "Iruka-sensei… are you still mad at me…?"

A warm smile was really all the answer he needed, but the words didn't hurt. "No, Takeshi-kun. You worried me a little, but I was never mad at you." And the boy left with a much lighter heart.

-

It seemed to be a day for nerve-wracked youngsters in Konoha, because nine others were currently deep in discussion, their voices low and, in some cases, distinctly nervous. "Okay, okay, Shika. We get it, there's trouble. The question is, if our teachers don't want to tell us about it, what can we do?" Ino's voice was one of the worried ones, her eyes wide as she unconsciously twisted strands of her long blonde hair around her fingers.

"No." this voice was cool, almost harsh in its abruptness. Neji made a slight negative gesture, stopping Ino's next words before she opened her mouth. "The _first_ question is 'who is most likely to be attacking Konoha'. Which Village it is will have a lot to do with what we should expect."

Some of the others nodded thoughtfully, conceding the Hyuuga genius' point. Shikamaru kept quiet. _'I'm supposed to be a leader now,'_ he thought to himself, paying only half attention as his friends worked out things he had thought were common sense. _'But part of leading… is making sure your team can function without you. They need to work this out themselves, since we apparently have time for it.'_

The other eight quietly discussed different aspects of the current world situation, including travel logistics from Chouji and, surprisingly, Kiba. "Wha-at?" the wolf-like boy glared. "My Clan scouts all over the place. We _know_ distances" Chouji, of course, had a good idea of what it took to feed a large force over said distances.

Political information came, perhaps not so oddly, considering that they _were_ their Clans' heirs, from Hinata and Shino. The two oldest boys spoke of the relative strength of the other Villages, Lee ducking his head but beaming with pride when Neji gave him a startled, but approving nod for being the only other one who knew which Villages had been in major fights – and were therefore less likely to be able to mount an assault.

They came to the hesitant conclusion that the Village of the Hidden Rock was the one most likely to be both able and willing to openly attack Konoha, and Tenten immediately provided the others with a list of the kinds of weaponry Rock shinobi generally favored. Which only left two questions. What did they do with this information and "Why the hell didn't they tell us about this" as Kiba nearly snarled.

_That_ dragged Shikamaru's attention fully back to the group, but still he waited, taking a page from Iruka-sensei's book to see if they could answer it themselves. Six of the group debated likely reasons, but Shikamaru focused on the other two not nearly arguing about it. Shino said nothing, but slight motions revealed that the stoic Aburame was intently following the discussion. Hinata, however, had obviously tuned the others out. She was lightly nibbling on her lower lip, thoughtful eyes locked on the ground. Shikamaru watched her closely, wondering if maybe she had caught on.

The timid girl finally spoke during a lull in the now-full argument. "Um, maybe… they can't…"

"Hinata-chan, what are you –"

"Shut up, Kiba." Shikamaru's quick reprimand startled both prior speakers, but his steady voice and gaze were fixed on Hinata. "Go on."

She fidgeted, twisting her hands together, but she finished. "It's just… I just thought that… m-maybe they can't. Maybe, maybe it could… get back to the Rock Village… and…" she trailed off uncertainly, but blushed when she looked up at Shikamaru. A rare, proud smile showed on his face, and the boy vaguely thought that he finally understood why Iruka-sensei put up with them for all those years. Six of the others were looking at the Hyuuga girl with a new respect, if no little surprise.

Lee, however, looked horrified. "Hinata-san, _surely_ you ARE _NOT_ suggesting that someone in Konoha would… would _TELL_ the Hidden Rock what we planned?! That would be a… a _traitor_! _Surely -_"

"Orochimaru." Shino's cool voice broke the teen's disbelieving words. "Kabuto, Sa…" he trailed off, finding himself unwilling to speak the name that brought them all a stab of pain and guilt. But his point was taken. All nine fell quiet, looking anywhere but each other as they tried to force themselves to accept all that they had discussed.

"So we can't say anything either" Ino murmured. "We just… have to keep our eyes open, be ready." The others nodded slowly in agreement, the mood having turned solemn. And in that stillness, they all distinctly heard a very familiar voice calling out. The group shared a quick glance, a silent agreement, as Gai came back into sight. He announced that Asuma and Kurenai had asked him to mix up the teams and have them spar team-on-team, and was rather surprised - but highly pleased - when no one said a word. They just mixed up and waited for the signal.

After all, if a surprise attack hit them, they may not have time to find the team they were accustomed to before they had to fight.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Okay, short chapter here guys. But - hate me if you want - I just felt like I _had_ to leave it there for right now. *grins nervously* Hopefully I gave enough little hints that this doesn't come totally out of the blue, but I also hope you all didn't figure it out chapters ago. I don't have much experience writing mysteries, so... *shrugs*.

Thank you to my reviewers: **beyondthecrystalsea, iNsAnE nO bAkA, Auphora66, InARealPickle, Rangerfan58 and WhyMustIWrite.** As always, you guys are great.

Disclaimer: Have you _seen_ Naruto anywhere in this fic? Do you think I would name it after a character who doesn't even appear if I owned the Naruto world?

* * *

Kamizuki, Izumo sighed. He was supposed to be keeping a sharp eye on the people coming in and out of Konoha – and he was, really! – but at two minutes to seven o'clock in the evening, no one was traveling. Those who were on the road were likely setting up camp, and those who were going to travel wouldn't usually leave until morning. But the North Gate was still open, and so it still needed guarding. Especially now. Unfortunately for Izumo, just because something needs doing doesn't always make it interesting to do.

And so, the bored Chunin doodled randomly in the margins of his notebook. He was going to make himself some more coffee, work on his doodling and generally pass the three hours before night shift took gate duty off of his hands. …At least, that was the plan. Right up until running footsteps caught his attention. He tensed as the racing steps approached, was on his feet and sliding into a fighting stance as the door to the observation room burst open.

The wide eyed, pale faced Academy instructor nearly crashed into Izumo's desk, reaching for the alarm trigger even as he spoke, forcing out words between gasping for breath. "_They're __here!_ _They're in Konoha, and **they have hostages!!**_"

_  
*-One hour ago-*_

"I see. That's a good point, I didn't think about it like that. I guess… I really shouldn't be so upset about this, should I?" The man's voice was low, as thoughtful as the expression on his face. At least, until he chuckled suddenly. "Damn, Umino. I swear half the Village brings you its' problems. They should give you a medal or something for putting up with all of our bellyaching!"

Iruka ducked his head, once again mentally cursing the blush that he could never quite control. "No, Toba-san, it's nothing, really."

His companion just laughed again, reaching out to clap Iruka on the shoulder before they parted. "Well, I'll see you around, eh?" With a nod of agreement and a fond smile, Iruka watched the old ex-shinobi walk away, thankfully without the scowl that had attracted the Chunin's attention earlier. Still, he couldn't help but heave a small sigh. Iruka loved Konoha, and most of its' people, but sometimes… sometimes, the self-chosen role of peacekeeper wore on him.

Mentally shaking himself, Iruka turned to go home, tired after a day of 'spying' in the streets. His nerves were frazzled – all day long he had had a feeling that something was off, but he just couldn't put his finger on _what_. It had been bothering him off and on all month, but it seemed especially strong today. It was distracting, unnerving. So naturally, right about that time, someone ran directly into him. A very small someone.

The reflexes of a teacher, more than those of a shinobi, had Iruka's hand flashing out, catching the child by the arm before she could hit the ground. Setting the girl back on her feet, he saw big brown eyes looking up at him from beneath a fringe of black curls. Years of taking attendance allowed him to dredge up the names of the two girls standing in front of him, the older now fussing over the little one. "Seina-chan, wasn't it?" he asked the six year old, his mood lifted as she nodded shyly.

He turned his attention to the older girl, her brown braid swishing as she shook her head, firmly telling the younger to "watch where you're going!"

"And… Ishiko-chan, right?"

The ten year old gave him a bright smile. "Yes, sir."

Iruka smiled, amused by the pair. "And where are you girls going in such a hurry?"

Seina spoke up, her voice breathless with excitement. "We're going to finish our surprise. We've all been working on it for a long time, and we're gonna show our moms and dads. They're going to be so surprised, it's really cool! And-"

"And we have some more work to do, so if we're going to have it ready in time then we have to go, Sei-chan." Ishiko interrupted, her blue eyes shining with suppressed laughter.

Iruka chuckled then, stepping out of their way and wishing them luck as they darted through the crowd. "Kids." he murmured to himself.

_  
*-Ten minutes ago-*_

"Is it time yet? Is it?" he asked, voice high with anticipation.

A low laugh answered him. "No, not yet. Just a few more minutes. We don't start until the Hokage's Tower clock strikes seven. Just be patient a little longer."

-

Iruka was on his way home – almost there, in fact – when he had to snap out a hand again. _'What is it with kids running into me today?'_ he wondered in wry amusement. Though the little brunet was one of his students this time, and… appeared to be pouting. "Aki-kun, what's wrong?"

The boy looked up at his teacher, lips quivering and eyes swinging between hurt and angry. "It's not _fair_, Sensei!" the child cried. "I didn't do anything wrong, but Aya won't let me train with her anymore. She said to go away!"

Iruka blinked, mentally placing Aya as the boy's twin sister. But… the girl had failed the Academy entrance exam… "Train with her, Aki-kun?" he questioned, confusion seeping into his tone.

The child nodded fiercely. "Uh-huh. I could do the clappy-chakra-buildy thing too, I know I could. But they won't let me! All the girls said to go away, Sensei! It's just not fair!"

"Aki-kun, that's not… a…" Iruka trailed off, little memories suddenly clicking together. _/Four little girls sitting in pairs… a rather complicated series of clapping… the oldest carefully correcting one of the others / Boys playing 'ninja', making up 'hand seals', the leader scolding boys who 'did it wrong' / Children laughing on the streets, whispering to each other and darting off together / High voices raised throughout the Village, different voices but the same chant, "__**su**__zu-me" / Brown eyes behind black curls, "We've all been working on it for a long time / His own voice, "seals are just habits, Takeshi-kun."/_

Iruka's first instinct was to deny the impossible thoughts suddenly crowding his mind, but… _'It makes sense'_ he thought with growing horror. _'It explains everything… that's why we haven't found anything. We were all looking at adults, and trained shinobi, but we all forgot… adults and trained shinobi start as untrained children.'_ Iruka had used rhythm as a teaching aid before, and he quickly racked his mind for any jutsu he knew that could be taught to that particular rhythm. His face turned pale. "They're summoning" he whispered.

A shift of weight snapped his attention back to the child in front of him. "Aki, go home."

"Bu-"

"Just _do it!_" Iruka snapped, and then bolted at his top speed for the nearest alarm station.

_  
*-Present-*_

The children grinned uncontrollably, the occasional giggle breaking free in spite of their best efforts to be serious. One little girl squealed as the Tower clock struck seven. All across Konoha, girls and boys sat in small circles, girls clapping hands and boys forming 'seals', reaching inside of themselves just as they had been taught. A spike of power, a wave of exhaustion, a sudden cloud of smoke – and all across Konoha, the circles broke apart.

_'What happened?'_ one boy thought dazedly. _'Wasn't there supposed to be lights? A cool show, she said…'_ "Guys," the eight year old called out, coughing harshly. "Was that supposed to happen?"

"Yes," a deep voice answered him from out of the smoke. "Yes, it was."

The boy rubbed his eyes, looking up in confusion – and straight into the cold smile of a Hidden Rock Jounin.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N:** *throws hands in air* I give up! I have no idea how many more chapters this thing is going to run. It WON'T STAY SHORT! ...Ah, sorry. Anyway, the battle begins! Thank you to my reviewers: **InARealPickle, iNsAnE nO bAkA, Auphora66, WhyMustIWrite, KawaiiIruka, and ChibiAliChan.** You're all so cool!

Disclaimer: I own some school books. If you want to sue for those, you can have them.

* * *

As the alarm rang out in the streets of Konoha, there were many and varied reactions to the harsh sound.

-

Sakura looked up, surprised and confused as Tsunade cursed and rushed from the room with the first wail.

-

Asuma – along with Jounin all across Konoha – jumped to his feet, pausing only long enough to glance at his companion. Shikamaru reached back and snatched up a weapons pouch, speaking before his former teacher could get a word out. "Invasion, traitors. It is Rock, right?" A single dumbfounded blink, and then Asuma pulled himself together. Though he promised himself that he was going to have a long talk with the Nara prodigy when this was all over.

-

Hyuuga Hiashi was spending the afternoon observing the eldest of his daughters, watching her train and noting to himself how much more smoothly the girl moved when she was unaware of his presence. He wondered idly if the girl would be even better if Hanabi were not watching her so closely. When the alarm went off, it did not particularly startle him. However, something else _did_. Weak, timid little Hinata did not freeze, or even pause to see which alarm code was being sent. She just jumped to her feet, grabbed her sister by the arm, and practically dragged the protesting eight year old into the House, away from the exposed courtyard. "Neji-niisan," she called. "It's time, they're here."

-

Everyone had a responsibility when the alarms sounded. Jounin and all but the newest Chunin had their orders given to them long ago, making up the emergency protocols of Konoha. For Genin and brand new Chunin, those orders were to find the closest higher-ranked shinobi and do as they were told.

Lee glanced around – there was no one else near the remote training field he had been working in. But that was okay. Shikamaru was a higher rank, and he had given them all orders in case of something like this. Wrapping his confidence around himself like armor, the younger Green Beast pushed chakra into his legs to boost his speed as he ran for the closest civilian sector. There were innocents to evacuate, to save, and Lee _would_ save them. If he didn't… there would be no penalty training. If he didn't save them, it would be because his body had not recovered to the extent that he thought it had. In other words, because he was dead.

-

Iruka darted through the streets, quickly picking up a trail of fellow shinobi as if the others somehow realized he knew something that they didn't. And they were right. He had blurted out a quick explanation to Izumo, but the other Chunin hadn't had a way to broadcast the message yet. The best he could do was set it to repeat the code for 'evacuate' more often than the one for 'walls breached'.

_'They would have had to use civilian children.' _Iruka thought, clamping down on his instinctive panic. '_If little Aki-kun could spot the 'games' as a chakra building exercise, then there is no way that shinobi parents would miss it. I can't believe that __**I**__ missed it! …Doesn't matter now. What matters is that we were all expecting them to come from the outside, so most of us will be heading for the walls, to keep them out of Konoha. But they're already __**in**__ Konoha. They bypassed the walls altogether. They'll be coming from the civilian sectors. …They're already among the most vulnerable of our people. And if they did use civilians… the kids will be exhausted, chakra depleted. They won't even be able to run. So the bastards have human shields the moment they get here. __**Damn**__ it, this is… this is a nightmare.'_

But Iruka didn't have time to think on it long. As he rounded a corner, he was just in time to see a group of shinobi step off of a large wooden disk in the middle of a ring of children. And to see one of those shinobi reach for a child sprawled on the ground. All of Iruka's fear suddenly turned to a cold, calculating anger. With a wordless cry, Iruka – and all five of the shinobi behind him – hurled various sharp objects at the enemy, careful to aim high to avoid hitting the children. The battle had begun.

-

In one of the circles, one child was not choking and looking around in confusion. Ishiko dropped the Jounin in charge of this particular group a short bow, and then spun about as she heard the alarms ring out. The girl laughed in delight, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "You're _too __**la-ate**_!" she trilled, her high voice making a mockery of a child's singsong, turning it into something cold and cruel. Her face lit up with pride and joy when a familiar man strode into sight, and she waved exuberantly, completely ignoring the fact that the children around her were being either snatched up or killed.

The man gave her a quick smile, briefly laying a hand on his young partner's head. "You've done well" he murmured, dropping her Rock hitai-ate into her hands. "Now leave the battlefield."

She pouted a little, but not even an order to retreat could spoil her good mood today. "Yes, father."

And the Recruiter slipped off into the streets.

-

In a room not far from the fighting, a blond teenager stood white-knuckled, staring blankly out of his window. Eri jerked about as the door to the room practically disintegrated, eyes wide as his numb mind finally registered the killing intent radiating from the woman who stormed into his room. Even the ANBU guard shrank back from the ferocity of the Hokage.

The woman strode quickly up to the Rock Chunin, planting one palm hard against the wall beside the young man. "What's the code?" Eri just stared. Tsunade growled low in her throat and snapped again. "You would be stupid not to have a way to tell the others to swap sides. You protect my people, we protect you. Now _what. Is. THE. __**CODE?!**_"

Eri finally pulled his mind back into working order, quickly rattling off the information demanded of him. The instant he was finished speaking, Tsunade spun and strode out of the room. After a brief hesitation, Eri ran after her and was quickly integrated into a group of Konoha shinobi on their way out to the battlefield.

The time for negotiation was done. The time for action had come.

-

In the Eastern residential district, chaos reigned. Aya staggered back, throwing out a quick side kick, choking on the thick smoke as she tried to draw enough breath to scream. The strange shinobi in front of her only grinned, effortlessly blocking the six year old's weak attack. Aya didn't hear the sirens change briefly; all she could hear was the low laughter of the man snatching hold of her throat.

And then his smile shifted to a look of shock, hand loosening around the child's neck. Pale faced and shaking, Aya hit the ground, her mind refusing to register the warm liquid that suddenly splashed over her. She numbly noted a rough gurgling sound coming from the man who had just dropped her, but she couldn't seem to think.

The spell was broken as another large hand grabbed hold of her arm. Wide brown eyes stared up at the new strange shinobi, a woman who glared and shoved the little girl. "Don't just stand there like an idiot, girl! Go hide! Find somewhere safe until one of your own shinobi can evacuate you." And with that the stranger vanished, leaving two bodies and six shocked, blood-splattered – but unharmed – children behind her.

-

Kiba hesitated, glancing down as Akamaru whined softly. The Genin listened closely, and then called out to his teacher. "Kurenai-sensei."

The red eyed woman glanced back, slowing slightly as her student called for her. "What is it, Kiba? I have to go."

The boy got a slightly confused, but rather stubborn expression on his face. "Sensei, I know I'm supposed to evacuate civilians, and you're supposed to go to the walls. But Akamaru isn't scenting anything from the direction of the walls. No strangers, no steel and no blood. But he _is_ picking up those scents, and pure terror, towards the west. I… I think that the enemy is already inside Konoha, sensei."

The Jounin hesitated, quickly debating with herself… and decided to trust in her student. "Alright, I'm coming with you."

And both Konoha shinobi veered off, heading straight for the enemy.

-

A woman paced inside of a closed room, fists clenching and unclenching as she listened to the sirens with a pained expression. The woman threw an agonized look towards the door of the room, everything in her urging her to break it down and go. But she knew _exactly_ how thick the steel was, and with the chakra-inhibiting manacles she wore, she would never be able to break it down.

Just when she was nearly at the point of slamming her fists into the wall, the door opened. The woman spun, wide eyed as a former comrade stepped in and tossed something at her. She caught the object on instinct, and then gaped at the white mask. "Come on, Mouse." the other said. "You're stable enough for this."

Without another word, both ANBU agents headed for the streets.

-

Kakashi glared, shifting directions abruptly. Visible eye blazing, he hurled himself off of a rooftop – and directly into the path of a Rock shinobi's sword. Steel screamed along steel as he shoved against the enemy. When he spoke, Kakashi's voice was a low growl promising death to the three Rock shinobi in front of him. "You _will __**not TOUCH**_ those children, understood?"

One of the enemy snorted, snapping out a quick kick towards a little boy curled on the ground. The snort became a strangled scream as the foot was pierced by one of the Jounin's kunai. A quick meeting of gazes, and Kakashi murmured in the man's ear. "Too bad. They die fast. _You_ die slow."

And the man could suddenly see his own destruction reflected in one black and one blood red eye.

-

Outside of the city, a five man squad of Chunin moved at a quick but casual pace. After a week in Rain Country, the team was more than ready for a nice, relaxing weekend at home. Unfortunately, their daydreams were cut short as one of the more eager members of the group stopped suddenly. Satoshi spun back towards the group behind him, shouting at the top of his voice. "Signal flares in the sky! Something's going on – we've got to get back!" The group immediately picked up the pace, racing through the trees to lend whatever aid they could.

So much for relaxing.

-

Neji hissed out a breath, stepping back quickly. Within the range of Byakugon, he noted six Rock shinobi. Chunin, judging from the way they moved. A familiar chakra in his blind zone told him that Hinata had finished gathering up the nearly unconscious children they had found on their way back from dropping off the Clan children at the evacuation shelter.

A quick glance confirmed that the younger Genin had taken up position a few feet away, with the children safely between them. They couldn't carry all of the children by themselves, and reinforcements had yet to arrive, so… Tensing his jaw slightly, Neji braced himself once more in the low fighting stance of the Gentle Fist style, knowing that his cousin behind him did the same.

Time to find out if he was strong enough to defend, rather than destroy.

* * *

**A/N 2:** Actual fighting next chapter, I promise! It's just... everyone wanted their scene in this one. XD


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: ***glares at Konoha ninja* All RIGHT! You've all gotten to posture at your enemies, now will you PLEASE get on with the fight?! *coughs* Ah, sorry about that. But apparently I'm really bad at fight scenes - they just won't come for some reason. I'm trying, but it's not cooperating. Anyway, thanks yet again to all my reviewers: **InARealPickle, kirallie, jazzy2may, Rangerfan58, KawaiiIruka, Auphora66, WhyMustIWrite, ChibiAliChan** (hopefully I've redeemed Sakura in this chapter)**, jennfire, iNsAnE nO bAkA and singing ferret.**

**Disclaimer:** This is FAN fiction. Meaning written by someone who has no legal rights to it. That said, enjoy.

* * *

Pained blue eyes slid closed for a heartbeat. _'There's no help for it'_ she thought in despair. _'I'm not strong enough to fight them all. But maybe… maybe I can cause enough damage this way, maybe I can keep these kids safe until someone stronger arrives. …Everyone, I'm sorry…'_

Ino took a deep breath, feeling a strange sense of calm settle over her. It was certain death, they would destroy her body the moment it was vulnerable, but her mind-body transfer might just allow her to create confusion among the enemy and buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive.

Blue eyes blazing with sudden determination, slender hands rose in familiar patterns. _'Active in three, two, o-'_ Her motions were cut short as a hand buried itself in her ponytail, yanking her back. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Are you _trying_ to get yourself killed?"

Ino looked up into furious – and frightened – green eyes. "Sa…kura?"

The young medic gave her long-time rival a vicious grin. "Stupid. It's not that desperate yet. We've just got to beat these guys and get these kids to safety. Now, let's show these morons what Konoha kunoichi are made of!"

A matching expression spread across Ino's face, along with a feeling of relief. "Yeah, let's." A quick smirk was sent Sakura's way. "Bet I can beat up more of them than you."

"Hah, in your dreams."

-

At the Southern wall, a Jounin team came to an abrupt stop. "What the hell? Where are they?" one of the younger Jounin asked in obvious confusion.

The leader quickly scanned the woodlands outside before turning and barking an order. "Split up, check the perimeter."

As the four Jounin paired off and darted down the walls, the Green Beast felt his thoughts race. _'If they're not at the walls, then…'_ He glanced over at his partner. "If we don't find traces of them by the next block, we head for the residential area." The other simply nodded.

Right now, there were two possibilities. One, there was a hole in the walls that the enemy was focused on pouring through. And two, they had found a way to bypass the walls altogether.

Gai silently prayed that it was possibility one.

-

'_Where is everyone?'_ Tenten thought as she desperately flung kunai at the squad of Rock shinobi closing in around her. Even her whirlwind of weapons were barely holding them back. _'How did the Rock get this far into Konoha without us knowing about it? I mean, I can see how they got in – they probably stood on those wooden disks, and someone summoned the disks. But who had enough chakra to do that? …And where __**are**__ the Jounin and Chunin? I'm almost out of scrolls; I __**need **__backup here!' _

Following Shikamaru's contingency orders, she had gone to the nearest civilian sector in order to begin evacuation. The moment she showed up, she had run directly into a group of three Rock shinobi, which she felt that she could have handled – except for the fact that as earth jutsu cracked the streets around her, civilians has started running out of their houses and trying to escape.

Shielding herself, she could do. Shielding herself and the civilians running all over the place – that was proving tricky. 

_'Wait'_ she thought. _'Shielding myself…'_ As yet another wave of kunai flew towards her, Tenten summoned her last weapon. She held her dual scythe by the handles, letting the connecting chain coil lightly in one hand until she flicked it out. One of the two scythes sailed forward, a slight twist of her wrist sending the weapon spiraling into a shield of spinning steel in front of her. "Everyone, behind me!" she shouted, nodding in approval as the now-directed civilians ran to gather at her back.

She shifted her attention back to the enemy, determination shining in her eyes as she addressed them. "All right you jerks, it's class time. Lesson number one: Don't mess with Konoha!"

The next time a wave of weapons came at her, some of the civilians screamed, but her makeshift shield held. Until a snap of her wrist sent it whistling back, and then snaking out again, slamming into a few of the kunai and sending the enemy's own weapons flying back at them. She grinned in satisfaction as one of the blades buried itself in the leg of one of her enemies.

Now _this_, she could do.

-

Hinata gasped, her hands trembling slightly with pain and exhaustion. But she countered the fast punch meant for her face, burying her own smaller fist into the enemy shinobi's solar plexus. An odd sense of satisfaction flashed in her as the man doubled over slightly, jumping back as he gasped for breath.

Within her range of vision, she noted that a few of the children were starting to come to. She also noticed that Neji was bleeding, the older Genin clearly having trouble with the limitations inherent in fighting defensively. Hinata was also bleeding, from a stab to the leg and a number of smaller cuts all over her.

But she steeled herself, thinking of four different sets of blue eyes. _'Neji-niisan is counting on me' _she thought desperately. _'Father and Hanabi would be disappointed if I cannot even defend a few children, and Naruto-kun… Naruto-kun… believes in me. I have to be strong. I __**will**__ be strong. For them, for the kids… for __**me**__!'_ Hinata hurriedly called up a water jutsu she had learned in the Academy to counter the fire jutsu that one of the Rock shinobi sent towards her. Her jutsu wasn't quite strong enough, resulting in a blast of heat and a mild burn to her arm, but that was alright. After all, if she had dodged it, then it would have hit Neji or the children.

She only hoped that either the children would wake up or help would arrive before she or Neji were overcome.

-

He stopped, quickly taking in the situation he had stumbled across. A squad of other Genin were desperately fighting a pair of Rock shinobi, but… _'Do they not realize that they are interfering with each other?'_ he wondered as he saw a boy's kunai nearly embed itself into his teammate's arm. The girl turned to look at the boy, and only the quick intervention of Shino's insects kept the enemy from cutting the girl's throat then and there.

The third Genin shouted at the sudden appearance of the bugs, instantly backing away from them – and his squad. Shino moved quickly, one hand grabbing hold of the boy's arm, dragging him back out of the path of an enemy jutsu. Then he addressed the squad, his voice low and hurried. "What are you doing? You have to fight as a team, to be aware of your teammate's positions."

When the other three shot him fast, odd looks, he suppressed a sigh. "Listen, just… if a yellow bug darts in front of you, back up, you're getting too far away. If a red one does, don't use a long-range attack, you're facing a teammate's direction and could hit them. Okay?" As the other three nodded, he ordered them into a roughly circular defensive formation. But he couldn't help but wonder, _'what has their sensei been teaching them? It obviously wasn't teamwork.'_

He was suddenly thankful that Kurenai had taught him to keep an eye on his teammates, particularly Kiba and Akamaru, whose attacks tended to be sudden and difficult to predict. It gave him a distinct advantage in keeping the other three Genin from accidentally killing each other.

-

Lee choked back a cry as his left leg suddenly buckled underneath him, instantly forcing himself back on his feet despite the pain flaring hot and sharp throughout his entire body. The civilians he had found under attack were currently gathered in the house behind him, and it was up to Lee to keep the three Rock shinobi from getting to them.

But his body was still recovering, and he had not pushed it nearly as hard in training as he was forced to now in battle. His muscles were begging him to stop, screaming that they weren't ready for this. But this was not a battle that he could afford to lose.

He leapt back as a kunai tried to lodge itself in his shoulder. Right hand snapping out in an almost instinctive center block, he flinched as the punch's impact radiated through his entire side. Six months ago, he would have been able to block that blow effortlessly, and he had to force that knowledge away. Something inside of him cried out softly as he realized that he might not be strong enough. Again.

Ducking under a round kick meant for his head, Lee felt his leg try to give again, but he refused to fail. Digging into the deepest well of determination and strength he possessed, Lee moved quickly, scoring a powerful kick of his own into the enemy's ribs. As the enemy slid back, the slight doubling over of his form telling his young opponent that he had likely broken at least one of those ribs, the two others came at the boy from opposite sides.

As Lee pivoted on the ball of one foot, hoping he could deflect one attack and still have time to avoid the other, he heard a familiar voice scream out _"Gatsuuga!",_ and a horizontal whirlwind slammed into the shinobi coming at Lee's back. Lee quickly deflected a kunai and used his enemy's momentum to throw the man onto his back and across the ground, and looked over just in time to see Akamaru barrel into the back of a Rock shinobi's knees as Kiba threw a punch to the man's face. The already unsteady man took a spectacular fall, hitting the ground and not moving beyond a quiet groan.

The Inuzuka boy threw Lee a feral grin, calling out to the older teen. "Hey, you alright? Can you keep going?"

Lee gave a single, decisive nod.

Kiba grinned again, turning slightly to call out over his shoulder. "We've got this one, Sensei!"

Lee spun around, jaw dropping slightly to see Kurenai perched on top of the civilian's shelter. The woman looked closely at both boys, glanced over at the remaining Rock shinobi, and stood fluidly. "Alright," she called back, "I'll trust you boys to handle this."

And then the Jounin disappeared even as Lee flashed a thumbs-up and Kiba whooped.

Lee called out to the younger teen, his fighting spirit re-energized by the other boy's enthusiasm. "Alright, Kiba-san, let's _DO_ this!"


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Okay, like I told some of you, this is a really short chapter. It's really just to sort of wrap up the fighting, since I can't make it work out any farther. And that means we're almost done. It _should_ only be one or two more chapters after this - of course, that's what I said three chapters ago...

Anyway, I don't own Naruto, and thank you to my reviewers: **Rangerfan58, InARealPickle, sweetcandyzz, kirallie, jazzy, Auphora66, WhyMustIWrite, ****iNsAnE nO bAkA** and **Veve.**

* * *

Izumo reached the message tower at the same time as the ANBU sent by the Hokage, each giving a quick explanation of the message that needed sending before dashing back out to join the battle. The hawkers glanced at each other in slight bewilderment even as they coded the appropriate messages and attached the chakra-infused paper to the bird's legs.

The effect on the battle was instantaneous – and important. Jounin and Chunin all across Konoha saw the message telling them that the enemy was among the civilian sector, and left only a token guard at the walls as the others rushed to protect their people – or destroy their enemy, as their individual personality dictated.

Though none rushed quite so fast as those Jounin who had sent young Genin to evacuate.

Those Genin had never been so glad to see higher-ranked shinobi in their lives.

-

Hinata stumbled to her knees, just outside of arm's reach of her cousin, with the children clustered in a corner behind them. Both Genin were bone-weary, bleeding from various wounds and bordering on chakra exhaustion. She cried out softly in relief as two Jounin charged into view, causing the enemy to turn their attention on the stronger opponents. Even Neji heaved a grateful sigh.

Kiba glared, muttering "it's about time" under his breath as he helped heave Lee to his feet again. Akamaru barked sharply in agreement.

Ino and Sakura sent each other grateful glances – they had been doing very well, but they were still only two young girls outnumbered by adult shinobi.

Shino nodded once at the pair that arrived at his battle, but if his teammates had been there, they would have noticed the boy's shoulders drop slightly in profound relief. The team he was working with outright cheered.

Tenten flashed a quick grin at the three Chunin who, upon arrival at her battle, did a slight double-take at her rather inventive method of shielding.

Within moments, the Genin had stepped back from outright battles and taken up the roles that they were _supposed_ to fill – namely, evacuating the civilians that they had just been protecting.

-

Kakashi stepped casually over the body of one of the Rock shinobi, glancing up as the message changed. He raised one eyebrow in mild interest as the flashing lights informed him that Rock shinobi with green cloth tied around the arm and no hitai-ate were actually allies, but then noted it, shrugged and moved towards the next concentration of chakra in the area.

-

Iruka darted under his enemy's strike, kunai tearing into the soft tissue of the man's gut as he passed. His eyes flicked up to the sky as the message proclaiming allies among the Rock flashed, and something inside of him heaved a sigh of relief. _'If there were allies among them,'_ he thought, _'then maybe some of the children were protected.'_

As Iruka dodged yet another earth jutsu, his enemy wondered suspiciously why the Konoha Chunin was suddenly wearing a slight smile.

-

Tsunade's sheer power had her enemies flinching back slightly well before she got into attack range. But her earth-shattering punch scattered the squad like so many bowling pins.

-

As Aoba rushed towards the nearest civilian sector, he nearly ran into a small girl with a long brown braid. He glanced at her, but her down-turned face gave him no view of her expression. He quickly directed the child to the nearest shelter, and then moved out again.

Had Aoba been paying closer attention, he might not have noticed the strip of cloth the girl had clenched tightly in one hand. He _would_, however, have realized that she took the road to the right – towards the walls, not the shelter.

But his mind was on the enemy shinobi, and so Ishiko slipped out of Konoha with no one the wiser.

-

But all across Konoha, the tide of the battle had turned. As Konoha Jounin and Chunin joined the battles, the Rock shinobi found themselves quickly matched, beaten back and, in some cases, rounded up. The Rock had anticipated that Konoha's army was greater than theirs, but they had thought that the advantage of surprise would even the field.

They had had no idea just how angry Konoha's shinobi would be, or how fiercely they would fight. Especially since word had spread from Iruka and Izumo, and others who had figured it out for themselves. The knowledge that the enemy had used not only civilians, but _children_, to gain entry into their city…

They were beyond furious. Rock was going to _pay_ for this.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Sorry this took so long everyone, I got slammed by this plot bunny that wouldn't wait long enough for me to finish this. *glares at Why. This is your fault. sulks.* But that bunny is placated for now, so I can get back to this one. Another short chapter here, but the next one should be longer - and the end. Thank you again to my readers, and especially to my reviewers: **iNsAnE nO bAkA, Rangerfan58, InARealPickle, WhyMustIWrite, Hermione-sama, Auphora66, Marz1** and **ChibiAliChan**. You guys are great for sticking with me this long, and even greater for your advice and encouragements.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own. Now, on with the story!  
**

* * *

**Ino ducked into the evacuation shelter, glancing back and gesturing quietly. After only a heartbeat, civilians began moving through the doorway, more than one giving the blonde girl a weak smile or a pat on the shoulder as they passed. She waited at the door until she saw a familiar head of pink hair, signaling that the last of the civilians had gone by.

She gave Sakura a faint smile, dropping her voice low so that the non-shinobi in the room beyond them would not hear the nervousness in her tone. "Sorry about making you take up the rear like that, Sakura. I wasn't trying to be pushy."

Her friend gave her a quick smile in return. "Don't worry about it, Ino. If you hadn't said it, I would have – since I've been training with Tsunade, I've gotten physically stronger than you. So it makes sense for me to play rear guard."

The two girls were quiet for a moment, each looking thoughtfully at the civilians and other Genin gathered in the huge underground chamber. Something unidentifiable flickered in Ino's eyes as she noticed a handful of Chunin clustered near one of the entrances They were hiding it well, but the girl's Academy training allowed them both to pick up on the small clues that said that the group was injured.

From the corner of her eye, Ino saw Sakura's expression smooth out into determination once again. "Hey, Ino-pig."

The blonde instantly stiffened. "What, forehead-girl?"

Sakura gave her an unusually serious glance. "Were you serious before, about becoming a medical shinobi?"

The question brought Ino up short for an instant, but she answered almost instinctively. "Yeah. …Why?"

Sakura just smiled. "Come with me then. I can't teach you medical jutsu, but there should be medical supplies here, so I can show you more treatment than we learned in the Academy. We can work on our medical skills and help out at the same time."

Ino's eyes widened, but then she grinned and followed the young medic-in-training. "Sounds good to me."

-

Iruka stumbled, leaning on his comrade's shoulder a little more before catching his balance. He mentally cursed the earthquake jutsu that had jammed up a section of earth hard and fast, but cursed himself more for failing to get the child his teammate was now carrying out of the way quickly enough.

The little boy had a rather nasty cut on his arm as a result. The fact that Iruka himself had gotten his leg broken wasn't as important to the teacher. After all, a shinobi being injured during a mission was acceptable. Civilian children being injured _wasn't_, at least, not to the kind-hearted Chunin.

But that thought slipped from his mind as the group stepped into the evacuation shelter. Iruka felt his jaw drop slightly for a moment, and then a proud smile lit up his face as he took in the sight of some of his former students.

Judging from the rather amused expression on one Chunin's face, Sakura had apparently commandeered the table she stood at. She and Ino were busily wrapping wounds and handing out medicines, while Hinata sat at the table quietly laying out supplies with slightly shaky hands.

Lee and Neji were currently being tended to, both wearing expressions of slight shame, though Neji's also held an extreme irritation.

Tenten was watching her teammates' treatment with an amused grin, while Shino tried to ignore a group of his age-mates over in one corner.

Shikamaru gave the teacher a brief nod and Kiba flashed him a grin from their respective seats.

And then the girls noticed him. Sakura quickly put the final bandage in place on Lee's arm, giving him a quick, low lecture – probably on taking it easy, judging from the slight mortification on the boy's face – and then strode towards the two Chunin and the children gathered around them. "Alright, Iruka-sensei, you and the boy. Over here. NOW."

Iruka fought a grin as he complied with the pink-haired girl, thinking privately that this commanding young medic was a far cry from the shallow, insecure brainiac he had taught not too long ago.

His kids were growing up, and he couldn't be prouder of them.

-

Throughout Konoha, the Rock's army was quickly beaten back, many killed and many more fleeing from the unnatural strength that seemed to have possessed the Leaf shinobi. In the field, Konoha shinobi were fast and strong and skilled. In their home, they seemed inhuman, unstoppable.

Their anger made them faster, stronger, meaner. More than one enemy never saw the blow that killed them, and even those who had fought mere Genin were forced to wonder what it was that made these _children_ so powerful.

Even those among the Rock who had allied themselves with Konoha were stunned at the overwhelming force that the Leaf brought out in its' people.

They could never have understood, even if they had known of Konoha's will of fire. But since they didn't know, the Rock forces were left broken, confused and terrified as they fled.

In their wake, a vicious cheer went up from the Leaf shinobi – at least, from the ones who weren't chasing their enemy down as they ran.


	15. Epilogue

**A/N:** It's done. Wow, that makes two actual chaptered stories that I've managed to finish. And unfortunately, another has already grabbed my imagination. *sighs* Plot bunnies, I swear... Anyway, I think I've wrapped up all the loose ends with this one, so enjoy. And a final thank you to my reviewers: **ChibiAliChan, iNsAnE nO bAkA, InARealPickle, Marz1, Rangerfan58 **and** WhyMustIWrite.** It's been a great ride.

**Disclaimer:** I own some school books. That's it. If you want to sue, you can have those.

* * *

Iruka opened his eyes slowly as he heard the brisk knock on the door to his room. The Chunin sat up in bed, wincing slightly as his leg – broken in three places and splinted tightly – protested the movement. He sat up straighter, eyes widening slightly as the Hokage stepped into his hospital room, followed closely by her assistant and Morino, Ibiki.

"Um, can I… help you?" he asked, confusion evident in his face and voice. He only became even more confused as he noticed the expressions on the three visitor's faces. Tsunade was grinning – always a scary thing, part of him noted – Shizune was apparently trying not to grin, and Ibiki… looked slightly pained.

Tsunade was the one who answered his question, a distinctly mischievous light in her eyes. "I hope so, Umino. You know the civilian kids that let the Rock into Konoha?"

Iruka's eyes flashed with anger, his fists clenching tightly. It had only been two days ago that he had been snatching children away from the Rock's forces, and his fury at the other Village for using children in such a way had yet to cool. "Yes, ma'am." he forced out.

"Well, we'd like for you to come and try questioning them – since we can't seem to get anything out of them."

Ibiki twitched slightly, almost mumbling "They won't stop crying."

Iruka agreed easily enough, but then he froze as the meaning behind those two statements actually registered. He turned wide eyes to the three in front of him – and then he exploded. "You sent _Ibiki-san_ to question _children?! _What is _WRONG_ with you people?!"

Ibiki twitched again, but Iruka didn't notice. The teacher was too busy reaching for his crutches and scrambling out of bed. Forget the leg, those kids needed him! _'If they weren't traumatized before,'_ he thought wildly, _'they probably are now!'_

Tsunade just laughed, leaning against the wall to keep herself upright.

-

Tsunade couldn't help but smile softly a few hours later, as she walked in to find a rather cozy little scene. Iruka was sitting on the floor, broken leg stretched out to the side as children clustered around him. The youngest ones were crowded closest, many clutching onto his sleeves or jacket, as he hummed, gently rocking the little girl sniffling in his arms.

It was a quiet, peaceful scene – until the teacher noticed her presence and shot a poisonous glare over the head of said little one. Tsunade couldn't help it – she doubled over laughing again.

-

Ishiko waited impatiently, humming to herself quietly to relieve the boredom. It had been two days now, the battle should be over. "Come on, dad." she whined. "Come get me already. I'm bored. And I know I can help round up civilians, at least."

The young Genin pouted, idly kicking her feet. She had only been training for this mission her entire life, raised on tales of Konoha's arrogance and taught to hate it from the crib. Her father had been teaching her to fight, to infiltrate and manipulate years before he had gotten their Village's approval for this mission. Ishiko – her very name meant 'stone child' and she had been cheering for Rock's domination long before she even understood what dominance was.

It had utterly thrilled her to be able to do her part in taking down the city she had been taught to hate with an almost fanatical passion since her birth. And now she had to wait, while her 'comrades' – most of whom had never even looked at her – got all the fun parts.

She huffed. "I want to see what's going on over there."

"We can arrange that" a deep voice said from somewhere behind her. Ishiko gasped as she whirled around, but her hands were caught and pinned before she could draw her weapons.

The child kicked and screamed, but she was no match for the two Jounin. For that matter, she was no match for the silver-haired one who simply patted her down for weapons and then threw the girl over his shoulder.

Kakashi smiled cheerfully over the little girl's cursing. "Well, that's got to be one of the easiest apprehensions I've ever had. Don't you think so, Genma?"

The senbon user just shook his head in exasperation as he pulled out a roll of bandages. They were pretty far from Konoha, after all, and he didn't want to have a headache before they got back.

An instant later and both Jounin grinned as the girl's screaming curses became nothing more than muffled shrieks.

**-hours later-**

The nine Genin – and one Chunin – glanced at each other uncertainly. None of the teens knew why they had been called to the Hokage's office, but they had all been told to report in promptly at four pm. So here they were.

Never one to show fear, Neji strode into the office with barely a nod at the ANBU guards stationed outside. Each of the children stopped short as they took in the crowd gathered in the room. Not only the Hokage, but their teachers and their families were gathered behind the large desk, all wearing disturbingly solemn expressions. Even Kakashi and Iruka were gathered.

Most of the kids gaped slightly, though Hinata gulped nervously and Sakura looked around in confusion. But they lined up before the desk, bowing to their leader and waiting for someone to clue them in on why they had been called.

The Hokage stood, stepping around her desk to stand before the line of teenagers. She folded her arms across her chest and watched impassively as the children showed varying degrees of nervousness.

And then she began speaking. "I have been looking over reports from various teams, and I have found one thing in common with each one of you. You each had orders to get civilians out of the streets and into the evacuation shelter. You did _NOT_ have orders to engage the enemy. And yet I have invariably found that you did exactly that."

"Shino, you took command of another Genin team. Sakura, Ino, you two commandeered supplies and ordered the others at the evacuation shelter until you set up a medical station. Neji and Hinata, you followed orders by taking your Clan's children to the evacuation point – but then you went back out into the streets."

"Lee and Kiba, the two of you requested a Jounin leave a battle instead of letting her handle it and the two of you evacuating the civilians. Tenten, you ordered civilians into a formation to shield them instead of leading them away."

"Shikamaru – I won't even get into you planning all of this with them. You all discovered a carefully kept secret, and instead of just keeping it to yourselves, you planned to take part in the matter when the time came."

Tsunade leveled an unreadable look at the teens. "So, what do you have to say for yourselves?"

Shikamaru's eyes had been slowly widening throughout the Hokage's speech, and he darted a quick look at his fellow teens before he spoke. "In the absence of proper guidance, we did what we felt was in Konoha's best interest, Hokage-sama."

Though none of the teens noticed it, Shikaku and Asuma shared a brief, faint smile as they realized that the Chunin had figured out exactly where this conversation was going.

One by one, the Genin spoke, each essentially backing up what Shikamaru had said. The Hokage paused briefly, letting each of the Genin squirm slightly.

She finally spoke, glancing back at the assembled Jounin, Chunin and civilians gathered behind her. "In other words, they showed courage and leadership that no one expected of them, going above and beyond the duties expected of Genin, and fought to defend this Village to the best of their abilities."

She smiled at the adults. "I think a promotion is in order, don't you agree?"

With those words, she turned back to the Genin. Broad smiles and chuckles broke out among the adults as the teens all gaped. Tsunade laughed again.

"Welcome to Chunin, brats. Except for Shikamaru, you're all promoted."

**-that night-**

The children whispered amongst each other again, but the tone this time was of nervousness rather than excitement. The conference room held all of the surviving children who had allowed the Rock shinobi into Konoha. Many were injured, and there were a number of them who would never be there.

But they all fell quiet as the door opened to the room, admitting the scarred Chunin who had been so comforting to them earlier. The man limped to the front of the room, only slightly awkward on his crutches.

The man stopped and faced the children, looking critically over each young face before he spoke. "You should all know, we've been discussing what to do with you. Your intentions were good – most of you said during our interviews that you wanted to prove that you could be shinobi and help Konoha."

The children looked down, at the walls, anywhere but at the kind man who had laid out their deepest desire – and their deadly failure. They hesitantly looked back up as the man spoke again. "Well, we came to only one possible conclusion."

Iruka smiled. "You all have a lot of work to do if you want to be on the same level as the rest of the Academy's students in the fall." There was a moment of silence as the children processed what he had just said, and then one boy whooped.

Iruka laughed in delight as the children screamed and cheered.


End file.
